


Stillwater

by teroinreadsteroinwrites



Category: One Piece
Genre: OC-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-03 18:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 56,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11538078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teroinreadsteroinwrites/pseuds/teroinreadsteroinwrites
Summary: "We build as only children know to buildWe made a way where there's a willNo slowing down or standing stillInnocent and reckless"How did we get so old and never noticeHow did we gain the world and lose the momentRise and fall, the tide surrounds usAnd drowns us all"-Hands Like Houses





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Introduction: Welcome to Stillwater. I'm Teroin. This is a One Piece fic. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. All copyrights and trademarks go to their respective owners.

“Are you sure, kiddo? You’re still pretty banged up.”

 

I smiled at the inn keeper. “I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me. I can’t possibly take up one of your rooms for another night. After all you have guests to host. I’ll be fine. This is nothing.” I gently tapped my wrappings. “Another day or two and I’ll be good as new.”

 

She was skeptical. I didn’t blame her. Normal people didn’t get over broken ribs in three to four days, but I wasn’t normal. Three days after the initial breaks, my ribs were already at the half way point. The cuts had all healed before her husband found me, and the bruises had already faded from deep purple to an ugly yellow is green.

 

I reached into my bag and pulled out a handful of gold coins. It was way more than what was necessary, but I was truly thankful to these people. They didn’t know me, yet they had still been kind enough to take me in and tend for my wounds for a few days until I was back on my feet.

 

“For your trouble.”

 

Her eyes widened and her brows up under her bangs. “That is-“

 

“A fair price if I say so myself,” I cut her off. “I would never have been able to bandage all of these wounds so neatly myself.”

 

The woman seemed hesitant still to accept my offer.  I placed the coins in her hand, curling her fingers around them. “Thank you once again.”

 

I let go of her hand and went for the door.

 

“Take care of yourself,” she said, when my fingers touched the handle. “I don’t want my husband to find you washed up on the beach again.”

 

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try my best,” I said over my shoulder, shooting her one last grin, before exiting.

 

The second I was out of sight, my smile fell. 

 

I was sore, I was tired and most irritatingly I was frustrated.

 

I had been at the inn for days with nothing to do other than think. The only think that had been on my mind was my failure.

 

I had lost to that my father again, and in fairly short order. That bastard, who had hurt me, my mother and so many others, had avoided retribution for the nth time.

 

I had known before I’d gone after him that I would lose though. I hadn’t gone into the fight with the proper mindset, but it was hard. How the hell do you believe that you can still win, when you’ve been beaten down again and again? It was demoralizing.

 

I thought about everyone back home. They were all probably preparing for me to come back, listening to Cal as she barked out orders about bandages, splints and medications, all while internally preparing her lecture about how stupid this plot of mine was.

 

Either that or they thought I was dead, that he finally killed me. Even if they didn’t I was sure that they were going to, when I didn’t came back.

 

I was in the East Blue in Logue Town of all places, a long way a ways from my island in the New World. It was the first time that I could remember that I had left the Grand Line, though I shouldn’t really say left. I hadn’t chosen to leave. I had been forcefully ejected.

 

I had washed up on the beach outside of the inn I had just left. The owner’s husband, a fisherman had seen me there and brought me inside, where she had tended to me.

 

I had read about Logue Town. The Town of the Beginning and the End, the birth and death place of Gol D. Roger. It was a strange place.

 

I was just outside of the Grand Line. I couldn’t tell if it was an act of mercy or a cruel joke. I was so close, but so very far.

 

I was on my own and without a ship. Even if I had a ship, I didn’t have a crew. It would take forever for me to get back to the New World on my own. Sure I had the time, but that wasn’t how I wanted to spend it. Plus I didn’t even know if I wanted to go home. I’d be greeted by what? Pity? Disappointment? I’m sure everything was under control with Cal in charge.

 

I was only vaguely aware of my surroundings as I walked. As I neared the center of the town, the buildings got closer together and the streets got busier. The people bustled around, completing their daily activities.

 

By the time I finally pulled myself out of my pity party, I had reached the town square. Looming over the area was the execution platform.

 

‘ _So this is it?_ ’ I thought. ‘ _The place, where Roger lost his life._ ’

 

I thought about the crew that had shown up on my islands randomly all those years ago.. A storm had caught them and swept them on to our shores.

 

The pirates that ended up on my island were strong. You had to be to make it that far down the Grand Line. Some had been good. Some had been bad. None of them had been like Roger though. He had this energy about him. If the others were stars twinkling in the night, then he was the sun burning bright.

 

Even though he had been dead for over twenty years and the town subdued by Marines, I could still feel his radiant energy, his warmth over the island, stronger here than anywhere else. It was as if he was here, just waiting to wreak havoc of some sort.

 

My gaze was torn from the platform, when a body slammed into mine, the force of the impact knocking me to the ground. My ribs protested against the new abuse. I gritted my teeth and groaned. I should have listened to the inn keeper.

 

“What are you doing on the ground?” he asked, staring down at me.

 

“You ran into me,” I responded, forcing myself up, swearing under my breath the entire time.

 

 “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, when I didn’t just spring back up.

 

I nodded. “Just a little beat up.”

 

“Did you get into a fight or something?”

 

“Or something.”

 

He nodded.

 

“You here to see the execution platform too?”

 

“Why do you want to see the execution platform?” I asked.

 

“Because I want to see, where the king of the pirates died.”

 

I didn’t respond. It was like a gravestone almost. It attracted those, who wanted to pay their respects. It attracted the average person, who simply wanted to see proof of a legend. It attracted Marines, who saw it as a monument to their greatest victory.

 

“One day,” the kid said, breaking the silence. “I’m going to be the king of the pirates.”

 

I examined the kid. He didn’t look like much. He was small, unassuming, dressed in a red shirt, cuffed shorts and sandals with a straw hat on his head, but he was special. I could tell.

 

“You think so?” I couldn’t help the condescending tone that slipped into my words. I had heard people declare that they were going to be the next pirate king time and time again. None of them had done it. In my opinion, none of them were worthy of the title to begin with.

 

“I know so.”

 

I nodded my head. He had conviction if nothing else.

 

“The Grand Line eats people alive,” I warned him. “I’ve seen it again and again.”

 

“You’ve been to the Grand Line?” he asked amazed.

 

“I live there,” I explained.

 

“That’s so cool! Then why are you in the East Blue?”

 

My mood soured as I remembered why I was here. “I had some things to take care of.”

 

 “Are you done?” he asked.

 

“For now.”

 

“Then join my crew.”

 

I looked at him, shocked. “What?” That had come out of nowhere.

 

He grinned. “I could use someone like you. The rest of us have never been to the Grand Line.”

 

He didn’t even know me, yet he wanted me on his crew. ‘ _Unbelievable._ ’

 

“We can take you home after we find the one piece.”

 

“It was a way home I realized. That being said I had yet to be sold on the prospect of going home.

 

This kid had a lot going for him. He was wide eyes and optimistic. He was determined. No doubt existed in his mind that he would achieve his dreams. It was admirable. That wasn’t a guarantee though. I had seen others like him, and with the exception of the late Pirate King, none of them had made it.

 

I’d seen enough to know how this was probably going to end. The thought pained me. I was tired of seeing such promise swallowed by the seas. Plus, I still had Daddy Dearest to contend with. The last thing I wanted was to drag an innocent pirate crew into that.

 

 “I like you,” I told him. “I don’t want to watch you end up like the others. What’s your name?”

 

“Monkey D. Luffy.”

 

“Zale Mira Kai. It was nice meeting you Luffy, but I have to go look for a place to stay for the night.”

 

“If you change your mind, we’ll still take you,” he called as I left, before turning to face the platform once more.

 

 Felt strangely rejuvenated after my conversation with Luffy. Instead of thinking about what I had happened, I focused on what I was going to do. I slipped in and out a couple of shops picking up enough clothes and toiletries to get me through the next couple of days until I could really get on my feet.

 

I grabbed a map as well, and asked the locals some questions.

 

I didn’t know how long I was going to be there. Regardless at least for the time being I needed a place to stay and a job.

 

 Once I made all my purchases, I found a place to sit eat and sort out my newfound information.

 

The people in the restaurant were buzzing. Apparently today had been an exciting day. There had been a duel and a cooking battle. A massive storm seemed to be forming up over the ocean and was likely to blow in soon. A pirate with a massive bounty on his head was on the island somewhere and the Marines led by Captain Smoker had been busy all day.

 

I was able to ignore most of it. That was until a man burst through the doors, out of breath.

 

“Leo, did you run here?” one of the patrons asked.

 

“Captain Buggy of the Buggy Pirates is about to kill that Straw Hat pirate!”

 

My head shot up from the paper I was reading.

 

‘ _Straw-hat?!_ ’

 

“The square’s been taken over by pirates.”

 

I tossed some money on the table and stood up

 

“Where are you going?” a woman asked me.

 

“To see what’s going on.”

 

There’s no way this kid was going out, before he even made it to the Grand Line. I couldn’t believe it.

 

“You’ll be killed,” another protested, trying to stop me.

 

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

 

I pushed through the doors and on to the street.

 

The clouds above were thick and back occasionally lighting up with a flash of lightning. There was no rain yet, but the threat hung heavy in the air.

 

I reached the edge of the crowd and wiggled my way closer. I could see the platform. Luffy was up there, head and hands trapped in the pillory. I recognized the pirate standing up there with him. He had been one of Roger’s way back then.

 

 “Since you have a big audience, do you wanna say something before you die?” Buggy asked.

 

Luffy said nothing. He looked annoyed more than anything.

 

“Well that’s okay. Whether you want to say something or not doesn’t matter because you’re gonna die.”

 

Luffy took a breath before bellowing “I’M THE MAN WHO’LL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!”

 

The crowd was shocked. Here he was about to be executed in the home of Gol D. Roger, exclaiming that he was going to take the late Pirate King’s crown.

 

It was a ballsy statement.

 

He still believed that he was going to be king of the pirates. Not even death could deter him from his ambition.

 

“Well then, I guess I’ll do it now, you dam rubber-“

 

“Stop the execution!”

 

All eyes turned towards the two men at the opposite end of the square. The one I had recognized, the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro. The other, a blonde in a nice suit with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth I had never seen.

 

“Zoro! Sanji!” Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

 

“His crew?” I questioned. They had to be. No one would just throw themselves into the fray for a pirate they didn’t know.

 

“Shame on you,” Zoro scolded. “There’s a limit to how much you can fool around, Luffy.”

 

“If you’re starting a sideshow, let me join you,” the other, Sanji, said. “What we have to do for now is drive those damn pirates away.”

 

The onlookers, terrified at the Pirate Hunter, fled leaving only the Buggy Pirates to deal with. I was sure that the Marines were there, but they were likely biding their time. It was a smart strategy, let one crew take out the other. Then you only had one beat up group of pirates to deal with.

 

“So you’re here, Zoro, but you are a little too late.” Buggy raised the sword.

 

There was no way that they were going to get to Luffy in time, even if all they had to do was run, but there were other pirates to contend with.

 

“Not even Roronoa Zoro can stop me! This is the end of your captain!” Buggy laughed manically.

 

“Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Sorry, I’m dead,” Luffy said. It wasn’t his words that struck me, but the large grin plastered on his face, even though death seemed certain.

 

My brain flashed back to that paper I had received the man on that same execution platform, a smile gracing his features.

 

I realized in that moment what I had felt earlier wasn’t the last remnants of Roger’s spirit. It was this kid.

 

I couldn’t let him burn out like all the others, but I didn’t have enough time to help him. I was too far away.

 

The sword came down, as did a bolt of lightning. It struck the platform, which burst into flames and collapsed, the metal supports groaning as they gave way.

 

At last, the rain began to fall.

 

Luffy’s hat floated down from the sky, landing on the ground, where the boy picked it up and placed it back on his head.

 

 “I’m not dead after all.”

 

I laughed. Of course this kid wasn’t dead.

 

“I got lucky,” he said.

 

He joined up with his crewmates.

 

The signal must’ve been given for the Marines to make their move, because a large number of them came pouring into the square surrounding everyone who remained.

 

Luffy and his two crew members took off, a group of Marines following him. Of everyone, they were the biggest threat, which meant that the captain was probably in pursuit as well.

 

This kid was at least going to make it to the Grand Line. I was going to make sure of it.

 

My stupid ribs hurt like hell, which affected my speed. I took to the rooftops, so that I could avoid any unnecessary obstacles. I was slow enough as it was.

 

When I finally caught up my midsection was on fire. My ribs strained against the push and pull as my lungs rapidly expanded and contracted with my breathing. When I finally got eyes on Luffy, he was on the ground, a marine sitting on his back. He wore a captain’s jacket.

 

‘ _That must be Smoker._ ’

 

I couldn’t make out what was saying, but I could see him reach for the weapon on his back.

 

I reached out forcing the water droplets in the air to follow my silent commands, but before I could strike, a cloaked figure grabbed the hilt.

 

I stopped. This person was powerful and dangerous. Their presence was strong, invasive and uncomfortable. It demanded to be felt.

 

I couldn’t see their face. Their back was to me.

 

They and Smoker exchanged words.

 

The rain ceased, causing me to look up at the sky in confusion. An incredible gust of wind tore through Logue Town. It picked up and tossed everything, debris and people including myself.

 

I cursed my sorry state. If I had been fully healthy, I would’ve been able to handle this. I would’ve been capable of doing something other than being tossed around like a rag doll. Hell, even if I had had a few more hours to truly get my wits about me I would’ve been better off. But I was caught off guard, my mind wasn’t processing everything as fast as it usually would have, and I was exhausted both physically and mentally.

 

I tried to brace myself for impact as I flew, but there was little that could be done other than flail about. When I finally hit, it was nowhere near as bad as I had anticipated. It still wasn’t pleasant. I had managed to avoid more serious injuries.

 

I hissed and groaned as I sat up and realized that I landed on a person, the blonde from earlier. “Oh my goodness,” I said. “I’m so sorry,” I apologized.

 

He opened his eyes, which were filled with hearts. “Are you okay, beautiful?” he asked, swooning.

 

“Uh…”

 

That wasn’t the reaction I expected.

 

“What happened?” Luffy asked, looking about. His eyes landed on me and he grinned. “Hey, Mimi, you decided to join after all.”

 

“Mimi?” I questioned. “Wait I-“

 

 “Mimi, what a gorgeous name for a gorgeous lady!” Sanji sang.

 

“What do you mean join us?” a guy with a really long nose asked.

 

“Mimi’s our newest crew member,” Luffy said.

 

I hadn’t actually agreed to that, but it wasn’t like I had a better plan, and I needed to make sure that he made it to the Grand Line. I couldn’t explain it, but I was drawn to Luffy. I felt a need to protect him.

 

“Now’s not the time to be recruiting. We have to get to the ship, before it’s blown out to sea,” Zoro said.

 

Sanji nodded in agreement. “You’re injured,” he said to me, kneeling, back towards me. “It’ll be faster, if you let me carry you.”

 

He was right. It pissed me off. No one should’ve had to tote me around.

 

I hopped on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He hooked his arms under my legs and along with Long Nose and the Pirate Hunter started in the direction of the ship.

 

Luffy took off in the opposite direction. The others paused, turning back to look at him. He ran towards a railing and grabbed a hold. His momentum, kept his body moving, his arms stretching out.

 

“Gum-Gum…”

 

“What?” Long Nose asked, sounding panicked.

 

“Wait…” Sanji trailed off.

 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Zoro muttered

 

“The gum-gum fruit,” I said in amazement. I had seen many devil fruit users, but never the gum-gum fruit.

 

“Rocket!”Luffy yelled. His arms snapped back to their normal length, sending his body flying towards us with an insane amount of force.

 

“I knew it!” Zoro yelled, trying to run out of the way.

 

Luffy crashed into us, sending us flying out over the ocean towards the ship.

 

We were caught by one of the sails, before we landed on the deck with a hard thud.

 

I was on my back, Sanji on top of me. I groaned. The rush I had, trying to help Luffy had faded, and I was feeling everything hit me full force. I tried to focus on something, anything else, eventually settling on the pitter patter of rain drops hitting my skin.

 

“Mimi, are you okay?” Sanji asked, worried. “Damn it, Luffy! She’s already hurt!” he yelled.

 

“Who is she?” a girl asked.

 

“I’m tired,” I said. “I just need to sleep it off.”

 

“I’ll take her inside,” Sanji said. “You’re gonna be fine, Mimi.”

 

“Mira,” I corrected, before falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to the sounds and smells of food being prepared. I opened my eyes and found that I was laying on a mat on the floor of, what looked like, a kitchen. It also housed the steering, which I found slightly odd. Then again, nothing about this crew, especially their captain, had struck me as normal.

 

I sat up and groaned, cracking my neck.

 

“Look who’s up. Careful now. It’s only been a few days, and your ribs were pretty messed up.”

 

A few days had done wonders for my ribs. Where before they were a source of pain, I now felt nothing, aside from the stiffness of my muscles.

 

“I’m okay,” I assured the blonde. “Sanji right?”

 

“Yes, but you can call me whatever you want, my beautiful princess!”

 

Again with the heart eyes. I shook my head. This guy was either going to make a fantastic husband to some lucky girl, or some devil woman was going to eat him alive. Right now, it looked like there was a 50/50 chance that it could go either way.

 

“You’re the cook, I take it?”

 

“Yeah,” he answered. He still had that overly affectionate aura about him, but it seemed to go down a notch. At least for the time being that is. “Someone has to make sure that those idiots out there don’t starve.”

 

Despite his insulting words and annoyed tone, it was evident to me that he genuinely cared about his crewmates.

 

“A few days,” I repeated. “What’d I miss?”

 

A few days didn’t seem like a lot of time, but it was enough. After all, the whole world could change in one second. A few days provided plenty of opportunities.

 

Sanji explained everything that had happened, since we fled Logue Town. There had been a storm, we’d traveled over Reverse Mountain, been inside a massive whale, befriended the whale, Laboon, and his care taker.

 

I shook my head. ‘ _Join a pirate crew and leave them hanging, because I’m unconscious. Of course._ ’

 

“I know it may seem impossible considering that I slept through all that, but you can wake me up. You should’ve woke me up. I would’ve helped.”

 

“You were hurt. Anyways, it doesn’t matter. We had it under control.”

 

He faced me again, handing me a fork.

 

“Here. Try this.”

 

One the end of the fork was what appeared to be the most perfectly crafted bite of fish with some delicately placed vegetable on top. I didn’t even know that a bite could look that good. When I told my siblings to test something for me, it was usually a hastily scooped up bite on a spoon that was nearly falling off. This looked like it could be in one of those magazines and it was just a taste test. I didn’t even know that you could make a bite look pretty, but he managed.

 

I popped it into my mouth. My eyes widened in surprise. It was ten times better than it looked. “Holy hell! This is amazing!”

 

The hearts were back. “Why thank you, my princess. I-“

 

“Sanji, this whole “princess,” “beautiful,” thing isn’t necessary. Just call me Mira. That’s what everyone else does.”

 

I realized that his compliments and affections were just part of his nature, but still found it strange. Back home, I was blood related to about 75% of the people living there. Another 15% were in-laws. Not that I had ever been looking, but the pool of potential partners was shallow, and the number of people who flirted with me was a big fat 0.

 

Even, when I left for supply runs, I was nothing special. I chose to look that way. I was short at 5’5” with choppy black hair that barely touched my shoulders. My frame was slender with hints of muscle. I didn’t bother with makeup or flashy clothes. I wore jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. The point was to not draw attention to myself.

 

 “Whatever you say, my dearest Mira.”

 

Not a 100% right, but it was a step in the right direction.

 

“Are you almost done?” I asked. “I’ll help you serve.”

 

“You don’t-“

 

“I want to help,” I told him, standing up.

 

“But your injuries-“

 

I pulled the wrapping off and stretched, side to side and touched my toes. “What injuries?”

 

His eyes widened in surprise. “How-“

 

“Girl’s got to have her secrets,” I said, smirking.

 

I didn’t particularly want to expose how quickly I healed. I didn’t want to expose any of my abilities, not really. I would if it was necessary. In Logue Town, I had almost done so, but lucked out. If I had faked it though, that would’ve meant that would’ve had to sit on my ass and be useless for weeks, and that I couldn’t take.

 

Sanji didn’t press the issue, opting instead to plate up all the food, splitting the dishes between us evenly. (After I had scolded him for trying to get me to carry one little plate and nothing else.)

 

“You alright?” he asked as we started out towards the others.

 

“This is nothing. You should see what happens, when my aunt, Cal, declares a family dinner.”

 

We had almost reached them, when the other girl on board, Nami, as Sanji had informed me, let out a scream. Sanji moved with unnatural speed towards her. I followed behind at a normal pace.

 

“What’s the matter, Nami, my sweet?” he asked.

 

I peered from behind him at the stressed navigator.

 

“If it’s food, you’re worried about, it’s ready!”

 

I really doubted that it was food she was worried about, if her face was anything to go by.

 

“Oh? Meal time?”

 

The guy with the long nose climbed up and joined the group.

 

“Usopp?” I doubled checked to make sure I had it right.

 

“That’s me, Captain Usopp, leader of the Usopp Pirates, a deadly sniper with no rival! My name is infamous all across the East Blue!”

 

I nodded taking all that in.  It was obvious that he was lying, but who was I to break the fantasy. I was still of the mindset that I could sail as part of a pirate crew.

 

“Th- the compass is broken!” Nami exclaimed, distraught. “It doesn’t point in any direction.”

 

I looked at the compass, watching as it spun and spun and spun, just like all the other ones that I had seen.

 

I set down the food. “It’s not broken,” I assured her. “It’s just useless.”

 

“Useless?!”

 

“The girl’s right,” an old man said.

 

I assumed he was the one who took care of the whale. I was caught off guard by his appearance, most notably the petals around his head. Outside of the papers I hadn’t seen a single one of Roger’s men, since they left my home. Now, I had seen two in a short amount of time.  I didn’t comment on this, however. I wasn’t sure, if he wanted them to know about his past, and I didn’t want to explain how I knew he was one of Roger’s.

 

“Looks like you guys came here with no knowledge. For heaven’s sake! Did you come here to die?”

 

“What?” Nami asked.

 

Luffy was focused on the food. “Meal.”

 

“Feed, in your case,” Sanji snipped.

 

“I thought I told you that common sense is useless in this sea. It’s not that that compass is broken.”

 

“Hm? Then, could it be that the magnetic fields are-“

 

“You pick up quick,” I praised.

 

“That’s right. The islands in the Grand Line contain lots of magnetic minerals; because of this they cause various abnormalities throughout the Grand Line. Furthermore, the current and the winds don’t have constancy. If you’re a navigator, you should know how scary that is.”

 

“It’s true that if we don’t have any way of knowing our direction, it’s hopeless.”

 

“Not entirely,” I cut in. “You need a log pose. It’s kind of like a compass, but instead of pointing to the North, it points you to the next island. Once you get there, it adjusts to that island’s magnetic field and then points you to the next, but it’s tricky, because once you set down one chain of islands, it’s nearly impossible to change course.”

 

“How do you know all this?” Sanji asked.

 

“I guess I never properly introduced myself. My apologies. That was rude. I’m Zale Mira Kai, but most people just call me Mira. I’m from the second half of the Grand Line, the New World.”

 

“Mira’s our expert. We’re going to take her home after we find the One Piece,” Luffy said around a mouth full of tuna.

 

“Really? How’d you end up in Logue Town?” Usopp asked.

 

“Long story. Any ways my log pose was in my bag, but I don’t know if it survived the abuse it went through back in Logue Town, but I can go check.”

 

“Please,” Nami practically begged.

 

“Is it something like this?” Luffy asked, holding up a log pose.

 

“That’s exactly it,” I said, taking it from him and giving it a good look over. It was the real thing.

 

“Luffy? How come you have one?!” Nami punched Luffy in the face.

 

“Those two weirdoes dropped it on the ship.”

 

“They did?”

 

“Why did you hit me?” Luffy whined.

 

“Just going with the flow.”

 

I snorted out a laugh.

 

“Oh the flow?”

 

I handed the log pose to Nami.

 

“So this is the log pose. There’s no dial face.”

 

“There are only even routes that you can follow on the Grand Line. They all lead to Raftel, the last point. The only one in history, who confirmed that, is the King of the Pirates. It’s a legendary island,” the old man explained further.

 

“Raftel…”

 

“Then the One Piece is there?”

 

“Who knows? That’s the most prominent theory, but no one has been able to reach there.”

 

“We’ll know, once we get there.”

 

The old man’s reaction was a lot like mine, when I had met Luffy. I could see it in his eyes. He felt it too.

 

“Now that I’m done eating, can we go?”

 

“Did you eat this all by yourself?!” Sanji yelled.

 

I laughed. “Boy you’ve got one hell of an appetite.”

 

Nami was still in awe of the log pose. “Log pose, huh? We have to take good care of this. This is the key to our journey.”

 

“You damn rubber man! I wanted Nami… I wanted Nami to eat more!”  Sanji whipped around and kicked Luffy in the gut, sending him flying.

 

“You are quite the aggressive bunch.”

 

Luffy went flying past Nami, shattering the log pose.

 

Both Sanji and Nami received kicks for their troubles straight into the ocean.

 

“Wasn’t that extremely important?” Usopp said, panicking.

 

“Our precious log pose…”

 

“Don’t panic. I’ll give you mine,” the old man said.

 

I was trying to remember his name, but was coming up empty. I knew the face. I could picture him all those years ago, much younger. I was pretty sure he was the doctor for the crew.

 

“I wanna thank you guys for Laboon too.”

 

I ran over to the ledge. “He ate a devil fruit and you kicked him into the sea?” I asked incredulously.

 

I could vaguely see their shadows under the water.

 

“He’ll be fine,” Nami grumbled. “If you’re so concerned, go in and get him.”

 

“I can’t,” I said flatly.

 

“You eat a devil fruit too, Mira?” Usopp asked.

 

I froze, the question catching me off guard.

 

Laboon tossed Sanji, Luffy and two others up onto land.

 

I breathed out a sigh of relief for both their safety and the distraction. “Thanks, Laboon.”

 

I hadn’t had time to plan for this, to get my story straight, what I could do, what I couldn’t, how, why. I’d been fairly vague about everything so far, but questions were going to be asked and in order for trust to be established they were going to need answers. 

 

Then again did it matter I they trusted me, if it was based on a lie?

 

I glanced back at Usopp. “The drip drip fruit,” I answered.

 

It was an easy answer, and it would buy me some time.

 

“Ah… I thought I’d die.”

 

I shook my head at Luffy.

 

Sanji stood up and headed towards the female of the pair of strangers. “Here, take my hand, honey.” He kneeled down and offered her a helping hand.

 

“Oh, thank you.”

 

“Nice day, isn’t it?”

 

“Hey,” the guy called. “We have a favor to ask.”

 

 We all gathered around the table to hear their request.

 

The pair were apparently the ones that had attempted to kill Laboon that Sanji had told me about. Needless to say they weren’t on anyone’s good side. I hadn’t been there, so I didn’t harbor the same ill will, but I also had no attachments to them.

 

They wanted us to take them to their home, Whisky Peak, since their ship was busted and they were without a log pose.

 

They begged us to take them back, giving us false praise. It was a rather pathetic display and utterly transparent.

 

“You can ride with us,” Luffy decided.

 

“What!?” the pair echoed each other

 

Nami and Usopp looked shocked too.

 

“Did you say Whisky Peak? Let’s go there.”

 

“You realize if we set that course we’re stuck on it right?” I asked.

 

I had no objections. I simply wanted to make sure that my captain understood, what he was getting into. Not that I thought it mattered. Logic and forethought didn’t seem to be a large part of Luffy’s decision making process.

 

“We’re going out of our way to take these shadowy people?”

 

“What’s the problem?” Luffy asked. “Don’t worry about the small things.”

 

The old man- Crocus! Crocus reiterated my point.

 

“If we don’t like it, then we can go around one more time.”

 

“I see…”

 

“Now, can we go? Now I’ve made a promise with the whale. Let’s get ready to set sail.”

 

“Who on Earth are you?” the girl, Ms. Wednesday, asked.

 

“Me? I’m gonna be King of the Pirates.”

 

The two chuckled and muttered under their breath.

 

“You’re laughing at his ambitions. You two had a much less lofty goal, and you both failed,” I reminded them, keeping my tone casual.

 

They stopped laughing, looking embarrassed.

 

“You two aren’t on the ship yet. Something could very easily happen, and you could be left behind. You know as well as I do that the chances of you swimming from any island to the next and making it there alive are slim to none.”

 

They paled.

 

I turned on my heel and followed the others.

 

“I doubt that Luffy would just leave them,” Usopp told me.

 

“Oh I know. I got that vibe from him, but they don’t know that.”

 

Usopp chuckled. “You’re evil,” he teased.

 

I shrugged. “Runs in my family.”

 

We readied the ship. The pose was already set, so once we were done, it was time to set sail. Crocus and Laboon saw us off.

 

“To which Whisky Peak full speed ahead!”

 

It was a light feeling, when we left. A mixture of glee, excitement and anticipation, given life through laughter and smiles.

 

It was contagious, and squashed any worries I had about the journey ahead of us. I knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. The waters ahead were violent, filled with danger and darkness, which is why I held onto this moment, my first real moment as a member of the crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers. 
> 
> A few things
> 
> 1.) While I'm going to address most of the arcs in the series, I'm not going to go over them all. The big ones will all be included, but some of the filler and whatever id going to be skipped over. I'll probably just find a way to take Mira out and have her do something else. It's not because it's too much, but it's because sometimes there's just no room for another character, sometimes Mira won't fit the situation and some times I just don't like the arc and don't want to write it. Just being honest.
> 
> 2.) Logue Town and Reverse Mountain are fairly short arcs (especially, when you only write a small part of them), so they can be single chapters. Don't worry that I'm going to try to fit all of Alabasta into one chapter.
> 
> 3.) This is going to take a lot longer to update. As I said I didn't have very much content to go through for Logue Town and Reverse Island, but my writing process for a fic like this is basically. Go back and watch the part I'm writing again, very vaguely plan it out and then go back and write it, so that I can hit all the right beats. It takes time.
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I promise that you will eventually get answers, actually in the grand scheme of this fic, they'll come fairly soon.


	3. Chapter 3

“What in the world is with this snow?” Nami grumbled, staring out the window. 

 

I glanced up and looked at the flakes that were falling from the sky. They were large and fluffy, and the bright white was a stark contrast against the deep navy color of the seas. The ship looked gorgeous, frosted in the stuff.

 

Zoro was out on the deck, napping despite the snow accumulating on top of him. I was concerned at first, but Usopp and Luffy had both assured me that the swordsman would be more irritated that I woke him up than he would be by frostbite, before they ran outside to play in the snow.

 

Sanji went after them, with a shovel to clear the deck.

 

I did the dishes left behind, happy to be able to do something useful.

 

Our two strays were sitting at the table wrapped up in blankets.

 

I chuckled as Usopp and Luffy’s snowman building escalated into a full blown snow ball fight. Nami grumbled irritated by their antics.

 

The pair made me think of my younger siblings, Mar and Grove. No doubt if the two were here, they’d be with the boys, hurling snow balls at them. Thinking about them, caused a mix of embarrassment and disgusted to rise within me at my earlier pity. As if I’d stay away from home forever.

 

It wasn’t pity that I’d be met with but worry, and they had every right to be worried. I kept attempting what was essentially a suicide mission.

 

I was pulled by my thoughts by one whining Mr. 9.

 

 “Hey, you, Doesn’t this ship have a heater?”

 

Ms. Wednesday joined in. “I’m cold.”

 

“Shut up!” Nami snapped. “You guys aren’t guests. Go help shovel snow or something.”

 

The sky was illuminated by a flash of lightning, the corresponding thunderclap following after.  The wind picked up, causing the snowflakes to swirl in the air.

 

 “Lightning? What on Earth is going on with the weather around here? It was sunny up until recently. The next moment it started snowing and now lightning. The seasons, as well as the weather, go around randomly. It’s just like Crocus said.”

 

“That’s how it is in the Grand Line,” Ms. Wednesday said.

 

I looked over at Nami and nodded. “Weather changes at the drop of a hat here, from one extreme to another. The islands usually have somewhat of a pattern, but on the ocean it’s almost constantly in flux. Same for the currents and winds.”

 

“Speaking of, you haven’t been steering for a while now. Is that really okay?” Ms. Wednesday asked.

 

I pressed my lips into a straight line. I didn’t like the smugness in her tone, but she had a point.

 

“I just checked the direction.”

 

I set down the dish I was washing and headed for the steering pole. “Check again,” I told Nami.

 

It was a rookie mistake, and I was partially at fault, because I should’ve reminded her to check it more often.

 

Nami let out a scream.

 

I winced at the sound. “Really not necessary,” I muttered under my breath.

 

“No way!” She rushed out to shout orders at the others. “Turn the ship around 180 degrees! Hurry!”

 

“A 180 degrees? Why’re we going back?”

 

“Did you forget something?”

 

“We’re going in the wrong direction,” I called.

 

“When I looked away from the log pose for one second… The waves were calm earlier.”

 

“Doesn’t matter. Nothing here makes sense. ”

 

“Are you really a navigator?” Wednesday shot.

 

“Watch it,” I warned, shooting her a glare.

 

It was too late. Nami kicked them both outside. “Go help already!”

 

“Brace the yard. Receive the wind from the starboard. Turn the ship 180 degrees to the left. Usopp-“

 

Nami barked out orders to everyone.

 

We’d just barely corrected our course, when the wind changed again. This time it blew out the cold and ushered in the spring time air. The wind changed blowing away the cold and bringing in the spring time air.

 

The strong winds intensified the waves, which swelled to over ten feet, making it even harder for me to steer.

 

“Iceberg at ten o’clock!” Usopp shouted.

 

A fog rolled in, reducing our visibility, I couldn’t make out the iceberg and to make matters worse everyone was in a panic.

 

“What’s going on? This is crazy!”

 

“We’re gonna die!”

 

“This is life on the Grand Line!” I yelled at all of them. “People have gotten used to it, and so will you, but not if you don’t focus and get moving!” I pulled the steering pole as far as it would go. Even in a ship as nimble as a caravel, we didn’t have enough time to avoid hitting the iceberg.

 

I cringed at the sound of wood crushing and splintering.

 

“Nami, water’s coming in from the bottom of the Merry.”

 

“Then  go patch it.”

 

Usopp ran below deck with Ms. Wednesday to patch the Merry’s hull.

 

The wind picked up once more, but this time was different. I could feel it in my soul. I took one second to peer outside. The winds howled as they brought in the darkest clouds we had seen yet. I looked down at the water, navy in the earlier storm, the water was now black like ink, lapping at the ship.

 

“Shit,” I swore.

 

This wasn’t a normal storm. It was fiercer, more violent. It was as if the storm had it out for us and was finally getting its chance to take out its anger.

 

Sanji, quickly whipped up some rice balls to keep everyone energized.

 

“Nami, switch,” I told her.

 

She ran back up to take the helm, while I took her place on the deck.

 

The storm lasted for a long while, but we managed to last longer. The storm eventually blew over. The sun came out from, where it had been hiding behind the clouds. The winds died down as did the waves.

 

It was over.

 

That storm had been a message from the Sea Devil himself. He was angry. Unfortunately for him, the others had no clue, and even if they did, I was sure that they would’ve been like me and simply not cared.

 

The crew and our strays collapsed on the deck, save for Luffy, who took a seat on the figurehead, and myself, who went back into the kitchen to finish up those last few dishes.

 

Once I was done, I fixed up some sandwiches and drinks, giving Sanji a break. He needed it. I didn’t.

 

I was sure that we were near Whisky Peak now. The weather had been stable. I kept glancing at Nami’s logpose as well, just to make sure.

 

I walked back out on deck and set the tray down with everything on it. “Here you go guys. Have a drink, eat a sandwich. You’ll start to feel better. And do we have a sewing kit somewhere, cause I ‘ll take care of the tear in the sail.”

 

“You aren’t human,” Usopp groaned.

 

I tensed at first. It was involuntary and lucky for me, no one noticed. I quickly relaxed and chuckled. “Just seems that I’m better conditioned than you are.”

 

Zoro groaned, from where he was still sitting on the deck. He stretched out his muscles and pulled himself up to his feet, walking over to us.

 

“Would you look at that, Sleeping Beauty finally woke up,” I teased.

 

“Sewing kit is in our room,” Nami answered me.

 

“Thanks Nami.”

 

I headed back inside. Once I was down in the room I shared with Nami, I let out a sigh. I wasn’t exhausted physically, though my hands stung from rope burn, but that was minor and would probably be healed up within the next couple of hours.

 

Mentally though I was pretty drained. Trying to get the crew to keep their heads about them was pretty much an impossible task. They were all so panicky. I understood that the weather was dangerous, and that could be scary, but goodness. It was as if it was the end of the world.

 

That last storm didn’t help matters. They were terrified, and I was pissed. It’s hard to keep people calm, when all you want to do is lash out and snap.

 

I found the sewing kit and grabbed some rope, heading back out on deck.

 

Everyone was up and moving again, staring at the island ahead of us.

 

“Hey Mimi! We made it!” Luffy cheered.

 

“I see that.”

 

I walked up and joined them. I had never seen an island like this one. The land itself was domed shaped with massive cacti dotting the landscape.

 

“So this is Whisky Peak. Hey, where’d are strays go?”

 

“The jumped ship and swam,” Zoro answered.

 

“Weird.” I shrugged. “Oh well. I’m gonna head up and stitch that sail real fast.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people. So I wanted to have this out a lot earlier, but my laptop died, and I got a new one, but I heaven't got the data transferred over, cause the nearest Best Buy is like forty-five minutes away and I don't have a the hundred bucks to spend at the moment, so I had to rewrite this chapter. Honestly, I don't like this version as much as the previous one, but I just wanted to get it out there, so I can get back to writing the rest of the story.
> 
> Also, because this fic is fairly involved, I have a lot of visual things that help me write, and I can post those for you guys, but how would you want me to go about it? I can just add a page to my blog on tumblr and keep everything there, or I could just post links as I go. Which do you guys want?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello. So rather than pack up my crap, so that I can actually move my stuff into my dorm, I decided to finish this chapter instead. So uh here it is. I'm gonna be mia for a while probably, since I'm moving back into my dorm on Saturday, and then there's the whole college thing. Plus, unlike a lot of my other fics, which I usually write, while I'm in class (Don't be like me. Pay attention.), this one I write, while I watch the show, so I can't. I watch the episode(s) plot it out then go back and write, while I watch to get all the dialogue, so this is gonna be pretty slow. Also I have a few shorter One Piece things in the works, so be on the look out for those.

If it seems like it’s too good to be true, it probably is, which is why despite the jovial atmosphere of the tavern we were in, I was still wary.

 

It seemed that Whisky Peak had a certain fondness for pirates, greeting us with cheers of celebration when we first arrived. We had barely set foot on solid ground, when we were met by the town’s mayor, who immediately offered up booze, food and smiles. I admittedly hadn’t spent much time in Paradise, immediately, starting my way back home after I had been beaten by my father, but none of the islands I had landed on before had ever been this happy to see pirates, not unless the crew in question was their protectors.

 

Something was up. I mean they were even fawning over Usopp, going along with his blatantly obvious lies. However, none of the possibilities that I had come up with were too much for the crew to handle, so I kept my mouth shut and plastered a smile on my face, opting to just go to the flow. As far as I could tell, nothing that we had been given had been poisonous yet, so I figured we might as well get our fill, while we could.

 

“You’ve been nursing that mug for a very long time. Go ahead drink up,” one of the guys sitting at the bar urged.

 

“Not everyone can drink like you Boyd, especially not a little girl.”

 

I looked further down the bar at the man, who had spoken. His tone was mocking, patronizing.

 

I glared at the man. I had little patience for men like him. Over grown gorillas, who liked to pick on those that they perceived to be weaker than them.

 

“I’m not some little girl,” I snipped.

 

I was so far from it.

 

“Uh-oh. You’ve pissed her off,” the original guy, Boyd, said chuckling.

 

“How old are you?” the second guy asked. “Fifteen? Sixteen? Are you even allowed to drink?”

 

I cursed my appearance. Usually it worked in my favor. I was plain, which allowed me to blend in, and unassuming, which kept people from seeing me as a threat, but it was a double edged sword. It made people think I was weak and naive.

 

 “I’m nine-h-“ I stopped.

 

‘ _Fuck_.’

 

 Years at home had spoiled me. I was free to be myself in the safety of my friends and family. I didn’t have to worry about keeping up appearances and false pretenses. For short periods of time, it was fine, but extended periods like this were proving to be exhausting.

 

 “-teen,” I grumbled the latter half of the number.

 

The pair laughed.

 

“I can handle my liquor better than anybody else in this bar,” I declared.

 

“Oh really?” Boyd smirked.

 

“Really.”

 

“Then I guess it’s a good thing that the mayor is about to annoyance toast competition.”

 

I followed his eyes to the mayor. “We had an excellent grape harvest this year. To celebrate that harvest, our traditional toast competition!”

 

Everyone cheered.

 

“Make a toast take a drink. This continues as long as you can hold your liquor. Last one standing is the winner.”

 

“I’m gonna feel real bad embarrassing you boys like this. After all, you’re about to be drunk under the table by a _little girl_.”

 

“Mira, you’re competing too?” Nami asked when I walked over.

 

“Gotta show these two how it’s done. I thought you weren’t drinking.”

 

“Weren’t you paying attention? There’s money involved,” Zoro explained.

 

“Ah.”

 

“Then let’s begin!” the mayor announced, raising his mug. “To our new friends!”

 

We went around, people making a toast after toast downing drink after drink. We didn’t start losing people until four.

 

My two challengers were both in the running still. I could tell that they were feeling it. Guy number two more so than Boyd. I was perfectly fine, but had to keep appearances, so I swayed and stumbled and slurred my words.

 

Nami and Zoro were both holding their own pretty well too. From the looks of it, they were just getting started.

 

Nami toasted to money, not surprisingly, and Zoro to becoming the world’s greatest swordsman. That took out guy number two and brought the toasting to Boyd.

 

“To my victory,” he slurred.

 

I snorted, finishing off my drink and being handed another, my turn. “To the future king of the pirates,” I said, looking at Luffy, who was downing food faster than the cook could prepare it.

 

Twelve took out Boyd. He collapsed to the ground.

 

I looked down and smiled. “I’ve made my point,” I said, setting down my thirteenth, before I had to drink it. “I quit.”

 

“I can’t believe you’re quitting,” Nami said. “Pansy.”

 

“Last thing I want, is to have to listen to you bitch, cause I won the prize money.”

 

“You wouldn’t win,” she called, as I turned.

 

“That’s what you think,” I shot back.

 

 It was down to her, Zoro and a nun. After the thirteenth mug, it was just Nami and the nun. I didn’t watch, instead, stumbling through the crowd and out the door, but I would hear, Nami’s shouts of victory, once the nun went down.

 

Luffy was down as well, stomach blown up the largest that I had seen. Sanji I was pretty sure was love drunk surrounded by a crowd of pretty women. If the color on Usopp’s face was anything to go by, he was pretty far gone as well.

 

I stumbled outside and around the side of the building until I was out of sight of the townspeople. Once I was in the clear, I dropped the drunken act, and climbed up the building until I was on the roof, where I laid and basked in the moonlight.

 

Eventually the party died out, and the air became still and quiet, the only sounds being that of the ocean lapping on the shore in the distance and the snores coming from the people passed out inside.

 

A short while after everyone passed out, the quiet was broken by the mayor. I crawled over to the edge of the building to get eyes on him.

 

Now I could figure up what was with him and this weird town.

 

Our two strays were there as well, sitting directly underneath me.

 

“They’ve worn themselves out partying and are fast asleep. Sweet dreams, brave adventurers. My how the cactus rocks gleam under the pale moonlight. Beautiful as ever.”

 

“If I may say, your poetic skills are beyond compare, Igarappoi- I mean Mr. 8.”

 

‘ _Of course_ ,’ I thought dryly. ‘ _More of the dumb numbers.’_

 

“So where are they?” Wednesday asked.

 

“They’re falling... Straight to hell.”

 

I almost wanted to laugh at how dramatic this guy was being. I mean really? Take _us_ to hell? Between that and the gleaming rocks, this guy was starting to sound like my cousin after he had a little too much wine.

 

The trio was joined by the nun, who removed her habit, revealing a short pink and white checkered dress underneath.

 

“Damn. My head is killing me. Our guest didn’t have the good taste to pass out gracefully, so I doctored they’re drinks a little, or else they’d be up all night drinking us into oblivion.”

 

If that was spiked with something, then I hated to think of what they’d been drinking before. Grape juice.

 

“So tell me was it really necessary to put on this elaborate show for those idiots?” the nun asked. “I get that no one wants to hear me whine, but it’s my duty to point out the amount of food we’ve wasted, when we could’ve just ambushed them at the harbor.”

 

This was a trap. No surprise there. I was under the assumption that they were after our supplies and treasures. It wasn’t like we were rolling in gold or anything. Nami probably was, but as far as pirate crews go, we were pretty broke.

 

I wasn’t really sure what the bounty situation was on board. After all the fuss that had been made over Luffy in Logue Town, I figured he had one. Maybe Zoro, but I doubted the others were worth anything. If it was worth the effort that they’d put into this party farce, then Luffy had to have one hell of a bounty.  

 

“We’re already short on supplies. _It’s not like anyone had high hopes for that whale meat or anything._ ”

 

Mr.9 puffed up defensively. “Why don’t you go try to kill that damn whale? We tried our best.”

 

“Both of you calm down. Before you question the validity of my plan, why don’t you take a look at this?”

 

The mayor, Mr.8, whatever, pulled out a wanted poster. Luffy’s smiling face was printed on the page. I checked the number below it. ‘ _Thirty-million, before he even made it to the Grand Line._ ’ That was a pretty respectable number, well worth the effort they’d put in so far.

 

Too bad it was all going to be for nothing.

 

The nun and the strays balked at the number. “THIRTY-MILLION BERRIES?!”

 

“For those morons?’

 

“Don’t be foolish. Appearances can be deceiving. That goes for-“ the mayor cleared his throat and performed a vocal exercise. “That goes for all of you.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s no matter. Our prey has been trapped, and that’s news the boss will enjoy.”

 

“That’s what you think,” I mumbled.

 

I hadn’t been with the crew for long, and I had only seen them in action once, but that was enough for me to know that these guys didn’t have a chance.

 

I wasn’t the only one, who had been playing drunk earlier. I could feel Zoro approach that cursed blade of his giving him away.

 

I glanced back at Zoro. “What? Can’t sleep now, because you were out all day?”

 

“Ha ha,” he deadpanned. “This place gave me a bad vibe.”

 

I nodded. “As it should. They’re going to raid the Merry and cash in on Luffy’s Bounty.”

 

“So what do we do with them now?” Ms. Monday asked.

 

I was wondering the same thing about the people below.

 

“I thought it was something like that. I guess I’ll take care of this, since you guys dealt with all that weather crap earlier.”

 

“Oh how chivalrous.”

 

He rolled his eyes at me.

 

“Kill them?” Mr.9 asked.

 

This time it was Zoro, who scoffed.

 

“If they die, the bounty drops thirty percent. The government prefers to hold public executions. Now go. I want them alive.”

 

“Hey, sorry to interrupt. You mind letting my friends sleep? They had a long day and the journey was exhausting, so I’ve been told.”

 

“Hey Mr.8, Ms. Monday, one of them escaped from the room, when we weren’t looking.”

 

‘ _Well well well, if it isn’t Boyd and that other guy.’_

 

“Ugh. He’s right over there.”

 

“Sneaky wretch, you should’ve stayed asleep with your friends.”

 

“A good swordsman never makes the mistake of letting his guard down. Plus, I took a nap earlier. Judging by the scowls and cheap disguises, you’re all bounty hunters, whose specialty is robbing drunk pirates, who fall for your hospitality. It’s original. I’ll give you that at least.

 

“I count a hundred of you scum bags give or take, and I’ll fight all of you. You hear me, Baroque Works?”

 

It was helpful having a name for the organization. We had a concrete enemy now, someone specific to fight.

 

Well Zoro had someone to fight.

 

Everyone down below freaked out.

 

“How do you know our name?”

 

“I was in a similar line of work once upon a time. Your company tried to entice me with a job offer. Naturally, I said no. Do the same rules still apply? Employee identities kept secret, cheesy code names, the boss’s identity and whereabouts also a mystery? Baroque Works, the criminal group that faithfully carries out their orders like herded sheep. That’s some secret.”

 

“This is a surprise. If you know all of our secrets, then we are left with no other choice than to kill you, and another gravestone will be added to the cactus rocks tonight.” The mayor guy chuckled darkly, before issuing the order to kill Zoro.

 

Before any of them could move, he’d moved, appearing in the midst of their ranks.

 

I sat up right, so I could watch the show.

 

“It’s her!” Boyd yelled.

 

“You have a lot more to worry about than a _little girl_ ,” I informed them, pointing out Zoro.

 

He grinned. The bounty hunters drew their weapons and fired at him, but he was too fast. Instead of hitting him, the bullets flew into their fellow Baroque Works agents.

 

The mayor was getting frustrated, but even more evident, he was worried. He was beginning to sweat. The muscles in his neck were tense. His eyes were wide and flicking back and forth wildly.

 

“Incompetent morons, they just shot each other.”

 

“Yeah and the pirate got away.”

 

‘ _Way to state the obvious._ ’

 

The mayor turned around to bark out another order to his minions. “Just kill him! He’s only one man.”

 

Zoro’s blade slid through the idiot’s hair, glinting in the man’s peripheral.

 

“Ask yourself. Will one grave stone really be enough?”

 

“There he is!” The bounty hunters aimed their weapons at Zoro and by extension Mr.8.

 

All semblance of calm and control was out of the widow at this point. He screamed at the men to hold their fire, to keep him from being shot. He pulled out a saxophone of all things and blew into the instrument, causing it to shoot bullets.

 

Zoro ducked, avoiding them, before vanishing once more.

 

A few flew up towards me, but I dodged them with ease.

 

“Your friend isn’t going to make it through this, and once we get him, we’re coming after you,” the mayor said.

 

“Cause that’s going real well for you right now. You don’t even know where he is.”

 

He shot at me once more, but I jumped out of the way to another rooftop, down through a window inside. No one as home, seeing as the whole town was hunting Zoro. They ran into the first floor, while I hopped out of a side window on the second and into the adjacent house.  I exited out of the back door of that one, putting some distance between myself and the bounty hunters, before taking to the roof tops once again.

 

Zoro said he had this, so I was gonna leave it to him. Now if Boyd and his friend ended up in my path, well then maybe I would join in on the fun.

 

I caught site of the swordsman from my newest perch. He was having himself a grand old time, slicing through the bounty hunters, knocking them off of ladders, cutting holes into the ground for them to fall into.

 

Ms. Monday swung a ladder at Zoro, which he barely dodged. She slid her brass knuckles onto to her fingers.

 

“It was a good effort, swordsman, but there is no man, who can best my strength.”

 

‘ _Why should he get to have all the fun?_ ’

 

 “What about a woman?” I asked, jumping from my perch. My foot nailed her elbow, the impact, causing her to release Zoro. I wrapped both legs around her neck, and threw myself back, flipping her over, so that I landed on top of her, my legs pinning down her arms. She tried to fight out from underneath me, to push me off, but despite her advantage in terms of actual size, I had more strength. I raised my fist and drove it into her face, knocking her out.

 

“You still a little groggy from that nap earlier or something? Letting her get the jump on you.”

 

Boyd and the other guy charged at me from behind. I ducked the wire that they held between them and grabbed them both by the back of the shirt. I grabbed the wire, pulling it from their grasps, slicing my hand in the process, before slamming Boyd into the other, the impact strong enough to toss them both off of the roof.

 

“I could’ve handled that,” he said.

 

“’Thank you, Mira.’ ‘Oh you’re welcome, Zoro.’”

 

There was something about teasing Zoro that was just so much fun. I mean he made it so easy. He left himself wide open. It was even better because he didn’t have an argument for anything that I had said so far.

 

“Yeah yeah, I told you I got this.”

 

“Alright then,” I backed off. “Go ahead. You got this.”

 

Zoro strode over to the edge of the building, gazing down at the Baroque Works members below. 

 

“Is that all you can offer Baroque Works?” he asked. “Cause you’re gonna need to do a lot better than that.”

 

I sat on the edge of the building.

 

Zoro carried a cursed blade. Initially, I had thought that that was the source of the dark aura that seemed to radiate from him, and it was, to an extent, but there was something else. There was something coming from within him. It was dark and violent. It was demonic almost.

 

It wasn’t noticeable earlier, but now it was. That sword of his, despite having sliced through over ninety people, hadn’t been satiated yet. It was still thirsty, begging for blood, and so it seemed was Zoro.

 

Mr.9 explained Baroque Works’ ranking to us. I think it was supposed to intimidate us, but neither Zoro nor I were impressed.

 

“I’ve found that fancy titles mean nothing, when it comes to fighting. The strongest wins and that’s that.”

 

The mayor fired at us with that stupid saxophone of his once more. I shuffled out of the way to the side, while Zoro, jumped up a level.

 

Mr.9 pursued him, while Wednesday whistled, calling her duck.

 

I raised a brow. “That’s your trump card? A duck?”

 

“Are you kidding me? A duck?”

 

“You get distracted so easily,” Mr.9 said, standing atop a belfry. “How can you hope to follow my acrobatics?” He began back flipping down towards Zoro. “You better prepare for my bloody bats!”

 

Zoro easily blocked his attack with one of his swords.

 

“You better be careful not to chip your precious blades.”

 

Zoro sheathed one of his swords.

 

At this point, Zoro was just toying with Mr.9, forcing him to go on the defensive and backing him up to the end of the building, which he wasn’t aware of. He attempted another one of his acrobatic moves, but ended up jumping off of the building.

 

“Is this really the best they can do?”

 

“There’s better. I’m still here. Are you ready, Mr.Bushido? Now, enjoy my perfume dance.”

 

Wednesday lifted her arms over her head and swayed back and forth. The fragrance of her perfumes choked Zoro out and brought him to his knees.

 

“Good boy,” he cooed. “And now, peacock slasher! Now Carue!” she hopped on the duck, and charged at Zoro.

 

Her weapon was a unique one, wires with a small jewel at the end of it. I had no doubt that they were effective cutting weapons, especially at the speed she was swinging them around.

 

Too bad the duck wasn’t as effective. He blew right past Zoro, and straight towards me. I quickly got up and pushed off the roof, jumping onto the building across the street. They fell of the building into a pile of junk on the side of the building.

 

They mayor’s saxophone sounded off, a barrage of bullets aimed at Zoro. Zoro cut a hole in the roof of the building, disappearing into the building below.

 

Mr.9 jumped out of the pile of debris he had created upon landing. He produced a chain from his bat, using it to tie up Zoro’s arm.

 

“Watcha gonna do now, tough guy?”

 

“Kick your ass,” Zoro replied easily.

 

I snorted.

 

“Excellent work,” the mayor commended.

 

“Come on, Mr.8, kill him now. You won’t get away!”

 

“That’s right, don’t move,” Miss Wednesday said. She had a machete in hand aimed at a still engorged, still sleeping Luffy. “If you even think about doing anything foolish, Mr. Bushido. Your friend here will be paying the price.”

 

“You idiot. Can’t he at least wake up, when he’s being held hostage?”

 

Mr.9 cackled with glee.

 

It had been fun and games up until this point, mostly, because these guys were kind of like gnats, annoying, but essentially harmless. This was different, because Luffy was asleep, oblivious to the danger he was in.

 

 “Foolish is taking a crew’s captain hostage,” I said, standing up.

 

“Ah ah ah.” She wagged her finger. “Take one step off of that building and your precious captain meets his maker.”

 

I stayed still. I just had to bide my time

 

“Well done Ms. Wednesday. It looks like there will be no escape for the swordsman this time, unless he wants his friend to die.”

 

Mr.8 pulled at the strings of his neck tie, exposing the gun barrels hidden in his curls. “Firing squad ready!”

 

“What?!” Zoro yelled, caught off guard.

 

He yanked the strings further, the barrels firing. “Igarappappa!”

 

Zoro yanked on the chain, pulling Mr.9 with it, putting him between Zoro and the bullets.

 

Ms.Wednesday was shocked by this, which gave me my opening. I hopped off of the building and knocked the machete from her hand, before hitting her with a kick to the mid section, that sent her flying backwards.

 

“Duck!” Zoro yelled. I did as he said, hitting the ground.  He threw Mr.9, using him to take out Carue, sending them both into the same crater that I had hurled, Ms. Wednesday.

 

Mr.8 fired again, but Zoro managed to evade it. He used Luffy as a trampoline, jumping up and slashing at Mr.8, taking him out of commission.

 

Luffy lifted his head, opening his eyes. “Where am I?” he asked.

 

I shook my head and chuckled. “Just go back to sleep.”“

 

“How’d I get outside?”

 

I didn’t have time to respond, before he was out again.

 

I looked up Zoro, who was sitting on the roof of the building.

 

“I got say I’m impressed. Your skill with your blades is amazing, especially wielding a cursed sword. That’s even more impressive.”

 

“You can feel it too.”  It wasn’t a question, just an observation.

 

I nodded anyways. “Have you had it long?” I asked.

 

“Only since Logue Town.”

 

“It must’ve been there a long time. Its thirst for blood is strong.”

 

“Must be why it was being so disobedient.”

 

I looked at the carnage around us. “It’s only a matter of time, before they send some more. We should probably get out of here.”

 

“Meh, let ‘em. Everyone needs the rest. If they come, then I’ll just have to cut them down.”

 

Zoro seemed pleased at the prospect.

 

I shrugged. Based on what I could tell, he was first mate. No one really used titles on the crew save for when it came to Nami and Sanji.

 

He took a large swig from his bottle.

 

“Well then, since you have everything under control here, I’m going to head back to the Merry, make sure they didn’t steal or break anything.”

 

“You should get some rest. You worked just as hard as the other earlier. If you push yourself too much, you’re gonna burn out.”

 

I nodded at him. He was right. Plus, I was more than ready to go to bed. I had gotten my fill of crappy booze, entertainment and food. Sleep sounded great.

 

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” I said, heading towards the Merry. “Good night, Zoro.”

 

“Night.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hieeeeeee. I'm ignoring my responsibilities, so here's another chapter. Leave kudos, subscribe, comment all that jazz.

I ducked the Baroque Works employee that charged at me, causing him to run right over the railing of the ship. He held onto the railing, keeping him from falling into the water. I brought my foot down on top of his fingers, causing him to cry out in pain and release his hold.

 

Another one rushed me. I dropped to my back on the deck and pushed of the balusters, between the woman’s legs.

 

Naturally, when I arrived back at the Merry, there were a number of Baroque Works goons waiting for me. Instead of stealing out supplies like I had anticipated, they were attempting to take the ship itself. They were all pretty beat up looking, and they all looked scared out of their minds. Clearly they were running from someone. The question was who.

 

If they were running from us, then attempting to steal our ship was the dumbest possible decision.

 

It could’ve had something to do with their company. Consequences for their failure, maybe? Based on what I had seen, it made the most sense. Their fear was beyond that of a pay cut though. It was as if their lives depending on it, which I guessed was the case.

 

A loud boom came from the town.

 

“What the hell was that?” I wondered out loud, looking over my shoulder. A cloud of smoke and dust rose up from the middle of the town.

 

My distraction gave my opponents an opportunity, and one of them shot me in the leg.

 

“Damn it!” I swore, putting my hand on the wound.

 

The explosion seemed to frenzy the idiots on the ship. They attacked with renewed vigor. They were weak and sloppy.

 

By this point, the deck was no longer as crowded as it had been before. When I first showed up, the deck had been full of people. There was no way for them to sail comfortable, but discomfort was better than death.

 

I had thinned it out, so now there was room to move.

 

I grabbed the nearest Baroque Works employee and used him as a shield, ducking behind the mast. He had a scarf wrapped around his head, which I used to choke him out, before using it as a tourniquet.

 

Zoro and the others were going to have to get back here without my help. I knew they didn’t need it, but I liked to think that it was at least nice enough to have the option.

 

I pulled myself up, only to be grabbed from behind by a large man.  Another one launched a knife at me.

 

I ducked my head down as low as I could.

 

The knife flew through the air like an arrow, launched from a bow. It hit the man, holding me, slicing his forehead, clattering down his face, scratching his eye.

 

I got out of his grasp, and spun him around over the railing.

 

The guy threw another knife. I caught this one, before it could hit me. “Going for the head is stupid. You need to aim for a softer part of the body,” I lectured. “One that you can actually pierce.”

 

With a flick of my wrist, I sent the knife flying at the man.

 

“Unless of course, you can pierce the skull.”

 

The knife hit him in the center of his forehead, crunching as it slid through the bone, stopping only once the hilt was touching the skin there.

 

He fell back onto the deck with a thump.

 

“We’re just trying to survive,” one woman said, as she fired a blunderbuss at me.

 

“Ah shit,” I swore, diving out of the way. I hated those damn guns. You could load them with literally anything and it would still fire. This lady’s choice seemed to be glass.

 

“Do you know how annoying this is gonna be to clean up?” I yelled, ducking around the mast again. I dodged a man, who attempted to clothes line me. I grabbed him, spinning him around and slamming him against the mast. I cranked back and head butted him, knocking him unconscious. I threw the guy at the lady. He was significantly larger than her so she was trapped underneath him.

 

I grabbed the gun and knocked her out with the butt end of it.

 

There were more explosions, buildings fallings and crashing, clouds of smoke, dust and debris rising into the air off in the distance.

 

‘ _What the hell is going on?_ ’

 

I finished off the rest of them quickly, throwing them overboard. I then hobbled inside to take care of my leg. It looked like I was gonna have to keep watch over the Merry, until the others came back and that was going to be a lot easier to do without a bullet in my thigh.

 

By no means was I a doctor. I knew how to take care of common illnesses. I had younger siblings I took care of. I could handle the flu and runny noses.  I could take care of scrapes, bruises and bloody noses, and I could stitch up wounds

 

Removing bullets wasn’t exactly something I had ever had to do before. I didn’t get into many fights outside of the ones with my father, and he didn’t need a gun. A few pirates had come to my island and shot at me, but I easily avoided it.

 

Now that I was thinking about it, I was sure that this was the first time that I had actually been shot.

 

The adrenaline was wearing off, and I was really feeling that stupid bullet. Was it the worst thing I had ever felt? No. Nowhere near it, but it wasn’t pleasant. I grabbed a clean rag and applied it to the wound, holding pressure.

 

I just had to pull that stupid bullet out, clean it, and stitch it up. That was it. Simple. I could do that.

 

A large explosion, sounded off, and the resulting shockwave from the blast rocked the Merry.

 

I tightened the scarf around my leg and stood up, hobbling over to the door. The sky on the other side of the island was alive with flashes of red and yellow. This explosion had easily been twenty times stronger than the ones I had heard earlier.

 

I could still feel the radiant warmth that was Luffy, so I knew he was alright. Since it wasn’t in town, I figured that Nami, Sanji and Usopp were in the clear too.

 

Then there was Zoro. I was pretty sure that death could take Zoro unless Zoro let him.

 

My thoughts were confirmed, when I felt that cursed sword of his nearing the Merry.

 

I hobbled on deck and pulled the lines in.

 

The first one to make it wasn’t any of my crewmates however. It was Wednesday’s duck.

 

“I don’t have time for you,” I told it.

 

It quacked indignantly.

 

Zoro jumped on deck. “Watch yourself!” I warned. “There’s glass everywhere.”

 

“We’ll worry about that later. We have to get out of here.”

 

“And the duck?”

 

“He’s fine. We have to hurry.”

 

I nodded.  Okay then...“Pull the anchor. I already got the lines.”

 

Zoro went and hoisted up the anchor.

 

“Hey! I got 'em!” Luffy yelled. I peered over the railing. Luffy has drug Sanji and Usopp back to the Merry, by their leg and nose respectively.

 

“Good! Bring them up.”

 

Both were out.

 

“What? They’re still asleep?”

 

“Luffy, you knocked them out,” I explained.

 

Zoro groaned in irritation.

 

Nami was next with Wednesday in tow.

 

“We don’t have time to look for him!” Nami yelled.

 

“What’s she doing here?” I asked.

 

“Long story,” Zoro said. “What happened to your leg?”

 

“Equally long story.”

 

“I’m not going to just leave him here,” Wednesday wailed.

 

“But listen-“

 

“What’s the problem?” Zoro asked.

 

“Apparently, her duck’s gone missing, and now she’s refusing to leave without it.”

 

“You mean this duck?” Zoro pointed to the bird standing beside him.

 

“He’s here?!” both Wednesday and Nami exclaimed.

 

“Made it here before I did.”

 

That spawned both to move. “There’s a tributary right up this river. If we take it, we can get out to sea faster.”

 

Luffy threw both Usopp and Sanji on deck.

 

“Zoro catch them!” I barked out.

 

The swordsman, managed to get both, before they could land on the glass.

 

Luffy hopped up after.

 

“Whoa! What happened here?” he asked, seeing all the glass, blood and bullets.

 

“They tried to steal the Merry.”

 

“Mira, take the helm,” Nami ordered.

 

I headed back inside and manned the steering pole, gritting my teeth against the pain in my leg.

 

I caught bits and pieces of the conversations from outside. Baroque Works was after us, and they could potentially send thousands of people to hunt us down. Lovely.

 

I could catch up on that later. The best thing I heard was the sound of Sanji and Usopp’s yelling.

 

“Sanji!” I called.

 

“Yes, Mira, my dearest?” he said, practically floating into the room with hearts in his eyes. He quickly went to serious Sanji, when he saw my leg. “You’re injured.”

 

“Recurring theme in my life. I need you to do me a favor. Go grab the sewing kit, the strongest alcohol we have on board, and a clean rag.”

 

“Got it.”

 

I hobbled over and put some water on to stove to boil. He brought me the stuff I had asked for. I dipped the needle in the boiling water, and then sat down, stretching my leg out on the bench in front of me.

 

“Give me your belt.”

 

“What?”

 

“Give me the belt, Sanji.”

 

Sanji did as I asked taking his belt off and handing it to me. I used it to tourniquet my leg, better than the rag I had used earlier. I took a deep breath and went in, pulling the slug out of my thigh.

 

I had a high threshold for pain. That didn’t mean that it felt any better. It wasn’t that things didn’t hurt. No this hurt just as bad for me as it would for anyone else. All that meant was that I could take a lot of pain, before it overtook me and I collapsed.

 

Sanji stayed there, holding my leg straight to keep me from thrashing. Once the bullet was out, he put a clean rag on it and held pressure. It didn’t take long for the bleeding to stop, thankfully. I cleaned the wound with the alcohol.

 

I went to stitch it up, but Sanji stopped me.

 

“Here. I’ll get it. You’ve got that gash in your hand.”

 

“Can you sew?” I asked.

 

“I’ve trussed a bird.”

 

“Not the same,” I sighed. “Alright, listen up this is what you have to do.”

 

I talked Sanji through the process, while cleaning up my hand and wrapping it.

 

We couldn’t properly bandage it. My pant leg was in the way. I was gonna have to wait until we hit the sea and then have Nami help me.

 

“I got to say, you’re one tough lady, Mira,” Sanji said, standing up and washing his hands.

 

“Not very many people could dig a bullet out of their leg.”

 

“Go check with Nami, see if we’re still on course, if not then I-“

 

“Just stay there. If we’re off course, I’ll steer. I still have to figure what’s going on, anyways.”

 

Sanji disappeared out onto the deck, shutting the door behind him. Despite the closed door, I could still hear everyone on deck.

 

I carefully scooted, so that I was lying down on the length of the bench. I needed a bath. The deck still needed cleaned. I now had to clean up the mess that I had made in here. I was gonna need more pants, since these one were ruined. I could path the hole easily enough, but wasn’t sure about getting the blood stain out. I could probably manage, but I wasn’t positive.

 

I was going through my list of chores in my head, half listening to everyone on deck. We were almost at the end of the tributary, almost out to sea.

 

“Finally, it’s getting light out,” Nami said sighing in relief.

 

I glanced out the window. It was foggy and grey, but brighter thanks to day break. It also meant that it was nearing twenty-four hours, since I had last slept. I closed my eyes, starting to feel sleep pulling me under, when I heard a new voice.

 

“I’m just glad we got away from the people, who were chasing us.”

 

“That’s for sure,” Nami agreed.

 

Had I missed them bringing another person on board?

 

 “With all this fog, we need to be careful to avoid the rocks.”

 

“Don’t worry. I got it-“ Nami paused.

 

“This ship is nice,” the voice said.

 

I heard the others, gasp. They must’ve noticed the person. Clearly, this was an uninvited visitor.

 

 “It’s you!” Wednesday cried.

 

“I just happened to run into your dear Mr.8 a little ways back. He didn’t look so good.”

 

“So you killed Igaram,” Wednesday said.

 

I still had no clue what was really going on. Wednesday was with us. The mayor guy was dead. There was some mystery woman on the ship. I would’ve been lost even if I was perfectly fine.

 

I was really hoping that this wasn’t going to be an ongoing thing. Broken ribs and bullet wounds, keeping me down. At least this would heal quickly. Actually I was lucky that the bullet hadn’t already gotten stuck in my leg, healed over. That would’ve terrible to get out, having to cut through the flesh to pull it out. Being as tired as I was was actually proving to be a blessing.

 

“You! What are you doing on my ship and how did you get here? Who are you?” Luffy yelled.

 

“Answer him! What are you doing here, Ms. All-Sunday?”

 

“So you know who she is? Which of number guys is she partnered with?”

 

“Her partner is Mr.0, the boss.”

 

“Crocodile’s her partner?”

 

‘ _As in the war lord?_ ’ I wondered. I shook my head. I would get answers later.

 

“She’s a bad guy?” Luffy questioned.

 

“She was the only one, who knew the boss’s identity. That’s how we found out, who he actually is by following her back to him,” Wednesday explained.

 

“To be accurate, I allowed it,” Ms. All-Sunday, amended.

 

“So she’s a good guy then?”

 

“I know you knew we were there. You were the one, who told the boss what we knew, weren’t you?”

 

“That’s right,” Ms. All-Sunday confirmed.

 

“So she’s a bad guy?”

 

“Luffy will you cut it out already,” Zoro snipped.

 

“You still haven’t told us what it is you’re doing here.”

 

“Oh right. You were just so serious about the whole thing I couldn’t help myself. A princess doing whatever it takes to help her country, making her an enemy of Baroque Works. The idea just so ridiculous.”

 

That set Wednesday off.

 

I sat up, looking out the window, seeing a woman sitting on the railing outside the door. 

 

Everyone reacted to Wednesday’s outburst. Zoro went for his swords, Nami her staff. Luffy took a fighting stance. Both Usopp and Sanji stood beside her, Usopp aiming his slingshot and Sanji a gun.

 

“I would really appreciate, if you stopped pointing those at me,” Ms. All-Sunday said.

 

Sanji and Usopp were thrown to the ground. Nami’s staff was knocked out of her hands, as were Zoro’s sword from his.

 

“A devil fruit,” Zoro growled out.

 

“But which one? What’s her power?”

 

“There’s no need to get all excited. You can all calm down; I haven’t been given any orders to follow you. I have no reason to fight you.”

 

She managed to pluck Luffy’s hat from his head.

 

I forced myself up, pushing the blurriness at the edge of my consciousness away.

 

Fog wasn’t ideal, like say rain or a lake. It took a whole lot of fog, to produce a little bit of water. That being said the fog outside was thick and went on for miles. I had a lot to work with.

 

I pushed open the door, appearing behind Ms. All-Sunday.

 

The fog in the immediate area had condensed into droplets, hovering in the air, twitching with anticipation.  Some of the droplets came together, jetting towards the hat on top of Ms. All-Sunday’s knocking it back into Luffy’s head.

 

Everyone looked around, startled save for the woman sitting on the banister in front of me.

 

“If you don’t have orders to be here, then why are you?” I asked.

 

“What’s this? You can control water. That’s a neat little trick,” she said, looking over her shoulder at me.

 

I had never met the woman in front of me before, but I knew her face. Those eyes bright blue eyes, held the same loneliness and pain in their depths now as they did, when she was a child. The papers didn’t do it justice. Seeing it in real life, I almost wanted to pity her. 

 

Almost.

 

“I’m starting to run out of patience. Everyone wants to know why you’re here. Answer them, before I fire these droplets at you at high pressure, shredding your skin.”

 

For emphasis, I let one loose. It flew past her, leaving a cut on the exposed skin on her thigh.

 

“Why not drown me in my own lungs?” she asked.

 

I narrowed my eyes. It was obvious that she liked to play games, but I wasn’t the one to do it with. “Because, Demon Child, then I’d be doing you a favor.”

 

There was a second, where her whole body tensed.

 

I held back the smug feeling within me. I had rattled her.

 

She played it cool though, running into her explanation as if I hadn’t spoken. “I’m here because of your bad luck. Picking up a princess, who Baroque Works has already determined needs to be eliminated, protected by a measly handful of pirates.” She scoffed. “But your luck gets even worse, because of the direction your log pose is indicating. You see?”

 

Nami glanced at the log pose, worried.

 

“The name of the next island is Little Garden. We won’t even need to lift a finger.  You’ll all be dead, long before you reach Alabasta. You don’t think it’s a little foolish, allowing yourselves to be wiped out?” she asked, throwing something at Wednesday.

 

“An eternal pose?”

 

“Using that, you can skip right past Little Garden without stopping, straight to an island near Alabasta. The pose points to a places known as Nani mo Nai Shima. None of our agents know that course, so you won’t be followed.”

 

“What? So she’s good after all?”

 

“Why are you giving this to us?” Wednesday asked.

 

“It’s part of her game.”

 

“It’s got to be a trap,” Zoro accused.

 

“Oh does it?” she shot back.

 

Wednesday seemed conflicted, but it didn’t matter.

 

Luffy was having none of it. “Forget your thingy. We don’t need it.” Luffy marched forward and grabbed the eternal pose, crushing it with his bare hand.

 

Nami kicked him, knocking him back onto the deck. “JERK! She just went out of her way to show us an easier course to follow! Maybe she actually is trying to help us get away!”

 

Luffy glared up at Ms. All-Sunday. “You aren’t the one, who decides where this ship goes.”

 

I smirked at Luffy.

 

“Well that’s too bad,” she lamented.

 

Nami was still screaming at Luffy.

 

“She blew up that funny old man, and he was nice, so now I hate her.”

 

It was such simple logic, but that’s what made it so strong, so easy for him to abide by. There were no shades of grey to be considered. There was good and bad, and she was bad.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that, and I’m sorry that you didn’t except my offer. If you survive, I hope that we’ll meet again.”

 

“No,” Luffy said childishly.

 

“Meetings with you usually don’t end well for the other party,” I pointed out.

 

She narrowed her eyes at me, but said nothing.

 

I knew I had struck a nerve with her, and later it would probably come back to bite me, but for now I had one up on her.

 

She jumped off of the Merry and onto a giant turtle.

 

We watched her retreat, letting out sighs of relief only once she was out of sight.

 

Wednesday collapsed to the ground. “That woman. I don’t even have the slightest idea what’s going through her head.”

 

“Then there’s no use in thinking about it, is there?” Nami pointed out.

 

“There’s someone on this boat, who’s just like that.”

 

I chuckled at Zoro.

 

“Someone please tell me what’s going on!” Usopp demanded.

 

“Oh Ms. Wednesday did you join our crew?”

 

I waved my hand around, the water in the air coming together into one large blob. I used it to rise off the floor inside and the deck out. I rinsed off the desk, sending the bloody, glass filled water into the ocean.

 

Once that mess I was taken care of I felt a lot better.

 

“So that’s you’re devil fruit huh?” Nami asked.

 

I nodded, leaning heavily against the door frame.

 

“That’s so cool!” Luffy screamed, at me. “Mira can you make a fountain? Oh wait no-“

 

Usopp and Luffy started bombarding me with questions, but Zoro cut them off.

 

“Guys, let Mira go to bed. She’s been up for nearly twenty-four hours.”

 

“And she got shot,” Sanji added.

 

I yawned. “I need a bath.”

 

“And that wound needs wrapped,” Nami noted. “Come on,” she said, coming up and supporting my weight for me. “I’ll help you.”

 

“Thanks Nami.”

 

“Oh my! My beautiful, Nami, and dearest, Mira, bath-“

 

Nami just rolled her eyes and sneered at him. “Pervert.”

 

Sanji acted as if Nami had shot her.

 

I snorted in response.


	6. Chapter 6

I limped out onto the deck just in time to see a massive dolphin jump over the ship, landing in the water behind us. It created a massive wave, which Nami and the boys handled with ease, using it to push us forward.

 

I smiled, leaning against the banister next to Ms. Wednesday. This was a massive step up from their complete and total panic from before we hit Cactus Island.

 

 “Looks like they’re getting the hang of it,” I commended.

 

“Yeah, looks like it,” she said, still seeming somewhat unsure.

 

“Hey Mimi!” Luffy waved. “Nami, which way now?”

 

“Hold on. Let me check.” Nami raised the log pose, watching the needle carefully. “Portside full,” she ordered, heading to the steering pole.

 

“Turning full,” the boys called back.

 

“Good job, boys,” I praised them.

 

“How’s the leg?” Sanji asked.

 

“Manageable,” I answered.

 

It was still painful, but a lot better than it had been. Getting some sleep had helped a lot. Both body and brain had had time to recuperate, and were now functioning fully, meaning that once again I was healing quickly.

 

My wound didn’t twinge so much with every movement as it did ache, and it was tight. I could feel the stitches holding the skin together, pulling as I moved. I was careful. I didn’t want them to open.

 

“How’s the hand?” Zoro added.

 

I raised it up. The gash was scabbed over now, dark, crusty, and itchy. It would probably be healed over in the next day or two. The injury to my thigh a few days longer, seeing as it was deeper.

 

“How? I saw the wire- You should’ve gotten stitches on the hand.” Wednesday was looking at my hand in shock.

 

“I heal quick.”

 

“That part of your devil fruit ability?” Sanji asked.

 

Usopp brought a hand to his chin. “When we first met, your ribs were broken, weren’t they? You recovered from that in days.”

 

It was actually about a week and a half, two weeks, before they were 100%, and that was only because they had been cracked, not fully broken. Even then that was still a lot faster than that of the average human.

 

“I guess that makes sense. Water has long been connected to healing,” I responded.

 

It wasn’t a lie. Water had always been associated with healing. People thought that water had mystical properties. Some believed that there were certain waters on the planet capable of instantly healing wounds or even reviving the dead.

 

I didn’t have an answer for them, well I did, but it wasn’t an answer that I wanted to give. It complicated things. I had already done that enough. The healing was one thing. There were a lot of freakish people, who could function through insane amounts of injuries and pain. There weren’t very many that could manipulate water and none, who could do it as naturally as me.

 

Plus I wasn’t really sure if my answer was right. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, what the source of my regenerative abilities was. It could’ve been genetics, the result of my mother’s blood. It could’ve been that bastard’s blood too. It could have been the combination of the two.

 

 “What do you mean you guess mean that makes sense? You don’t know?”

 

I just shrugged.

 

The only person that knew for sure was my father, and I wasn’t asking him for shit, not even an explanation of my origins or physiology.

 

It could’ve been my affinity for water as well. I hadn’t ever pushed it, like I probably should’ve. The water and I, it was natural easy. It always had been. It was a part of me. I never felt that I had to train it, especially since it was useless against my father.

 

“Never really thought about it.”

 

“Really?”

 

“I’ve had these powers as long as I can remember. I just accepted it.”

 

“When did you eat the devil fruit?” Wednesday asked.

 

“Don’t remember. Long time ago.” I quickly changed the subject. “What’s your deal?” I asked her. “I was absent for explanations, so I still have no idea why you’re actually here.”

 

“Mira, you hungry?” Sanji asked.

 

“Yeah, actually, but you don’t have to-“

 

“Relax, Mira, my dear. I’m more than happy to whip something up for you,” Sanji said.

 

“And you should sit down,” Wednesday said. “That way you don’t have to worry about pulling your stitches.” She paused. “You did need stitches, right?”

 

I chuckled. “Yeah, I needed stitches.”

 

“Which need cleaned,” Sanji reminded me. Hearts. “If you need help, I’ll be happy to assist you, my beautiful-“

 

“Calm down, Sanji. I already cleaned them.”

 

He sighed, dreamily. “Such a strong and capable-“

 

I shook my head, going inside. 

 

As it turns out Wednesday, was Princess Vivi Nefeltari of Alabasta. Now, we were getting her back to her kingdom of Alabasta, where the Crocodile, one of the seven warlords of the sea was orchestrating a civil war.

 

I was impressed. It was clear that she cared about her kingdom and her people. Her voice was thick with emotion and her eyes shone with bright with unshed tears. She wasn’t just out for the throne. Shecared about her people. She wanted them to come together and prosper not shed each other’s blood. That was why she had put her life on the line to infiltrate Baroque Works, working her ay up the ladder until she was a frontier agent.

 

“I’m sorry about all of this. It’s because of me that-“

 

“Oh relax,” I hushed her. “We’re not here, because of you. We are here, because of our captain.”

 

“She’s right, Vivi. If Luffy didn’t agree to it, we wouldn’t be here. So if anything bad happens to us, it’s all Luffy’s fault.”

 

I snorted. “Not the point I was trying to make, Sanji.”

 

“Regardless, it’s a valid point. Now, eat up.”

 

He set down a bowl in front of me. “Crispy rice noodles with beef.”

 

It smelled and looked divine. I took my first bite and was in heaven.

 

“Sanji, you’re amazing,” I said.

 

Heart eyes. “Oh why thank you, my beautiful, Mira, but the truly-“

 

I reached over and pinched his leg.

 

“Oh but to be pinched by an angel!”

 

Well that didn’t work.

 

“Would you please walk me through the process?” I asked, sweetly. Not too sweetly though. I wanted him to comply, but I didn’t want to get him more worked up.

 

“Why, certainly,” he said, seeming to return to normal, as he went though the recipe and preparations with me.

 

By the time he was finished, so was I. “Thank you, Sanji.”

 

He went to take my bowl, but I swatted his hand away.

 

“You cooked. I’ll clean.”

 

“You’re-“

 

“Perfectly capable of cleaning up after myself and the rest of you for the matter. Now, scram.” I gave Sanji a slight hip check, pushing him towards the door.

 

It was impossible to clean, when he was around. Everything I picked up he tried to take and do for me. It was irritating, even more so, because I got everything much cleaner than he did.

 

I stood up and limped over to the sink.

 

“Ms. Stewardess, I could-“

 

I chuckled at Vivi. “Stewardess, huh?”

 

Vivi’s eyes widened in horror. “I’m sorry, I just assumed. When Nami helped you get to bed, you kept talking about all the chores you needed to do, and-”

 

I filled the sink and started washing. “Sorry about that. I was exhausted. I guess I do think like a stewardess.”

 

I had noticed a lot of household chore type things that needed done around the ship. Things needed wiped down, dusted, swept, sorted, cleaned, patched all sorts of things. I had noticed that Nami did some of them, but only for herself.

 

“I’m gonna have to check with Luffy and what we can do about making that official.”

 

I had no problem doing it. I took care of my house at home. My siblings were like a force of nature, and I was always cleaning up after them. This wouldn’t be much different. Actually, it’d be a lot easier. The ship was smaller than my house.

 

“You don’t have a role on the ship?”

 

“Not really, not in any official capacity at least. Luffy only asked me to join, because I was the first person that he had met from the Grand Line. Even then that was in Logue Town. I think he was just caught up in being in the home Gol D. Roger.”

 

Vivi walked over to me, picked up a towel and began drying each dish as I washed

 

“And you just agreed?”

 

“No. I’ve seen what happens to people on the Grand Line, what people become, if they even make it that far. I needed a way back home, but I didn’t want to watch him end up like the others. He reminds me of someone I once knew.  I tried to help him out of a pickle, and he just kind of said I was part of the crew and brought me aboard.”

 

“So you’re returning to your homeland, like me?”

 

I nodded. “That’s part of it. Going home, making sure that Luffy doesn’t get himself killed, and admittedly, I’ve been enjoying myself. I’m the matriarch of my family, so I’ve never really left before, aside from supply runs. I always had to take care of everyone. I’ve never been this far from home. I’ve only been with them for a short while, and still I’ve seen more than I would in a life time back home. I know it sounds terrible like I’m just happy to shuck my responsibilities and sail, but that’s not it. I’m going home. I’m just enjoying the journey back.”

 

Logue Town was the first time I had ever been off the Grand Line. Cactus Island was the first island that I had ever been too this far out in Paradise. I usually was dropped only a week or so away from the Red Line.

 

Vivi was deep in thought, towel running over the already dry plate.

 

“Vivi,” I pulled her out of it. “I can see you’re worried, and I don’t blame you. Your nation is on the brink of a civil war, and you’ve managed to piss off one of the war lords. It’s not a favorable position to be in. I know it weighs heavy, because it’s _your_ people at risk. You’re responsible for them.

 

“I also know that being the heir to the throne means that despite all the opportunity you have, your world is small. It always will be. It will be your kingdom and not much else, so you should enjoy this opportunity while you have it. You’re going to see place that you have never seen. You’re going to meet people, who you never would have met. You’re going to get to do things that you never will have gotten to do otherwise.

 

“I haven’t been on this ship very long. I haven’t gotten to see the true scope of their talents. I’ve only really seen them just play around and heard their stories, but Nami, is an amazing navigator, Usopp an insanely innovative and talented marksman. Sanji is the most capable cook that I have ever seen. Zoro could put demons down. And you have the future pirate king looking out for you.

 

“We’re going to get you home, so relax enjoy this moment, because you’ll never have this opportunity again. You can be all gloom and doom, once we get you home.”

 

Vivi’s motions paused. Her eyes were still set on the plate. “Thank you, Miss-“

 

“Mira, just Mira.”

 

“Thank you Mira.”

 

She started drying again. We finished up the dishes quickly after that.

 

I had just rinsed out the sink as she placed the last dish away, when Luffy called us.

 

“Mimi! Vivi! Come look!”

 

I walked out onto the deck. The others were all standing at the bow, looking at the island ahead of us.

 

“There’s no mistake,” Nami said, checking the pose. “Cactus Island and this island are pulling against each other. Our next stop!” Nami pointed at the island.”

 

“This is it, our second island on the Grand Line,” Luffy declared.

 

I glanced at Vivi, who was wearing a small smile. I grinned to myself, excited at the possibilities of what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello. So this is going to be a fairly long note, because I feel this ridiculous need to explain myself to yinz.
> 
> So the short version. Thanks for reading. Review, favorite, follow all that jazz.
> 
> Alright now onto the long version.
> 
> 1.) Didn't really have a plan for this chapter. I mean I don't have a plan for most chapters, but this one just kind of flowed out on its own, but I like it.
> 
> 2.) My plans for a fic tend to change as I write (since I post as I go this is basically a first draft), so I tend to just go back and change things. They're usually fairly small things, so they're not too noticeable, but if you see something in the future that doesn't line up with what I've established before, I probably just went back and changed it. As I said, it's small shit, so it's not crucial that you go and reread anything for it to make sense, it's just a note. You haven't gone crazy, I just change shit constantly.


	7. Chapter 7

Little Garden was a whole lot harsher than it looked like from the sea. It was hot and humid. The jungle was dense, so much so that your visibility was only about ten feet. In addition, its name betrayed its nature.

 

So far, nothing about this island had been little. The trees and other plants were fully grown, leaves and branches spread as far as they could mange in the dense jungle, taking over other plants.

 

The air here was purer. Well maybe not purer exactly. There were volcanoes pumping smoke and ash into the air, but the oxygen levels were higher. I could feel it every time I took a breath. It felt like the island that my father resided on and I knew for a fact that the air there had a higher concentration of oxygen.

 

That explained why the bugs were so large. A dragon fly had flown over the Merry. It had to be at least a foot and a half in length, and its wings spanned over two feet. Nami and Usopp had screamed, while I had looked on in awe. Bugs hadn’t been that big, since the days of the dinosaur, way before my time.

 

That caused me to take a closer look at the plants. They were tropical plants, most of which had been a around for millions of years. I couldn’t be positive. I wasn’t close enough to get a good look, but I could’ve sworn that some of them shouldn’t have been there, having gone extinct. They sure looked like the plants, I had read about in my lessons with my aunt, Persie, and Cal.

 

As we sailed inland, a massive rodent that resembled a capybara stood at the edge of the tributary river, drinking from the banks. It was a strangely peaceful scene. That is until a monstrous saber-toothed cat pounced on it from out of the jungle, sinking its lengthy canines into the rodent and wrenching its neck. Once the creature was dead, the feline dragged the carcass back into the depths of the jungle.

 

It was amazing really.

 

Of course, what was amazing to me was absolutely terrifying to Nami and Usopp who were convinced that the island was going to be the death of us all.

 

I shook my head. For as smart and as innovated as those two were, they were just as cowardly it seemed. I had figured that they were both fairly easily frightened, having seen their behavior during the storm, but they had managed to deal with that fairly well, all things considered. They weren’t cool calm nor collected, but they hadn’t been near tears, jumping or screaming at every little thing, like they were now.

 

Luffy was practically vibrating with excitement, the new environment and prospect of an adventure fueling his desire to go out and explore.

 

I wanted to go out as well, to get a better look and confirm some of my suspicions, but opted not to, because of my leg. It wasn’t terribly painful, and I wasn’t too concerned about pulling my stitches. I was pretty sure that I would’ve been fine. Even if I wasn’t, I could always fix them. I was honestly more concerned about my pants. I hadn’t brought much with me, so until I could get the stain out of the pair from the night before and stitch up the hole, I was going to have to work to preserve the clothes I did have.

 

I settled for hearing all about the island from Luffy and Vivi, who had chosen to accompany him, along with Carue. I was happy to see Vivi taking the time to explore, and enjoy the moment. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do. We were stuck here until the log set.

 

Zoro had left after that, deciding to take a walk. That plan lasted about all of five seconds, before he and Sanji somehow found themselves in the middle of a pissing match- I’m sorry.  A _hunting competition_.

 

That left me with Nami and Usopp. They were too afraid to go out. That was fine with me. This crew attracted trouble. I knew that the others could handle themselves if something went wrong, but it was 50/50 with Usopp and Nami. At least with me around, I knew that they wouldn’t die.

 

I didn’t want to sit around and do nothing though, so I decided to do an inventory of the ship to see what I could do to help out. That way, when my leg was fully healed I could get to it. 

 

I let Usopp and Nami know. “Hey guys, I’m gonna head below deck and see what needs cleaned and organized down there, start making a list.”

 

“What?!” the two echoed each other.

 

“You’re just gonna leave us up here?” Nami cried.

 

“What if some giant bird tries to take off with us?” Usopp asked.

 

“What if a lion pounces onto the deck?”

 

“What if we get surrounded by a bunch of ship eating piranhas?”

 

I rolled my eyes at how dramatic that they were being. “Oh for goodness sake. I’m below deck, if something tries to kill you scream, and I’ll come up and save you.”

 

Usopp looked at me skeptically. “What about your leg?”

 

“It’s fine. I can climb up and down with my arms. If I need any help, I’ll holler.”

 

“You’ll holler, but what if…” I tuned the two out, heading inside to start my work. I started with the kitchen/helm. I had honestly meant to make a list at the start, but as I was writing things down, I realized I could just do them. After all, the pain in my leg wasn’t that bad. As long I didn’t pull my stitches I would be fine.

 

The crew had a fairly decent stock of cleaning supplies. I went to work. I tidied up everyone’s things, dusted, polished furniture, disinfected the surfaces that needed it. I found comfort in the task. Everyone in my house shared chores, but cleaning tended to fall on me the most. I wasn’t bothered by the mess, but Cal was. With everything she had done for me, I felt that the least I could do was make sure that the house was in order.

 

I finished up the helm and headed to the bathroom. It was fairly clean, but only because Nami made sure it was, and she only did that because she also used it. I sanitized all of the surfaces, threw any dirty towels into the hamper to be laundered, sorted through the various toiletries just strewn about. As I worked, I kept note of what needed restocked.

 

I gave the cannon deck/anchor room similar treatment. I went through all of our, weapons, munitions and equipment tucked away in there, keeping an inventory and making a shopping list, before heading to the bedrooms.

 

The room I shared with Nami and now Vivi wasn’t so bad, because again Nami cleaned, and I made it a point to keep things neat. It looked better once I was done, but it hadn’t been too drastic of a transformation.

 

The boys’ room on the other hand was like night and day. I had raised boys before. I knew how they were, and the state of their room didn’t surprise me. After all there were four teenagers living in it. I would’ve been more concerned if it didn’t look like a war zone.

 

I gathered up all the laundry, picked up everyone’s belongings, which were scattered about. I tried to put them back in their places, but ended up giving many of them new homes, when I couldn’t figure out where they went. I mopped the floors, dusted, and polished furniture.

 

I was extremely proud of myself, when I looked around the finished room.

 

By that point, I was really starting to feel the ache in my leg, so I took a break. I returned up to the deck, but Usopp and Nami were no longer there. I found them in the girls’ room. Nami was tossing books off the shelf over her shoulder, Usopp behind her dodging them.

 

“Nami, what are you doing? You’re gonna hit me,” Usopp whined.

 

“I just cleaned in here,” I said from the doorway.

 

“I’ll put them back, when I’m done,” she said. “I could’ve sworn I read something about this place before.”

 

A mysterious island with lots of crazy creatures and plants sounded like the basis of a number of fairytales to me, but I let her go, deciding that it was time to finally sit down. I headed up to the deck, grabbing myself a glass of water and dragging out one of the chairs with me, so that I could relax in the sun.

 

I flopped onto the lounge chair and stretched my legs out in front of me. I leaned back, folding my hands under my head.

 

I wanted to power wash the deck, but didn’t want to waste our fresh water. We weren’t far enough up the tributary for the water to be pure. Here the river was tainted by the salty sea, making it absolutely useless to me at the moment.

 

I couldn’t say that it was quiet, but the sounds of the jungle seemed to lull me towards sleep rather than keep it from me. A mid day nap seemed like a pretty solid idea. Plus, it would probably help my leg loads. I settled further into my chair and closed my eyes.

 

My peace didn’t last long. It took less than ten minutes for Usopp to scramble out on to the deck, worriedly pacing and muttering about the dangers that lurked past the river’s banks.

 

 “Are you looking for something to be afraid of?” I asked, cracking an eye open to look at Usopp, who was staring into the woods intently. “Why don’t you just hide inside until we leave? I can practically feel you shaking from here.”

 

“THE GREAT CAPTAIN USOPP NEVER HIDES!” he declared loudly, his shaking limbs and quivering voice giving away him away.

 

A bird flew above the Merry, letting out a terrified cry as a much larger bird chased after it. Usopp whimpered and darted behind my chair.

 

 “Uh huh. Never.” I tried not to chuckle. There was no need to insult the kid. I patted his head, affectionately. “Relax, I’m not gonna let anything get you.”

 

My amusement was cut short, when I felt the water in my glass begin to move. I stared down at the glass. Normally, I would attribute the effect to the movement of the ship, but this was different. It was rhythmic. With each pulse the water was a little more active.

 

“Mira?” Usopp asked, looking between the glass and I.

 

“Something’s coming,” I said, standing up.

 

“What?!”

 

I hushed Usopp, before he could start panicking, heading over to the railing.

 

Nami ran on out deck, book in hand. “Guys this is bad, really bad!”

 

“No, it’s big,” I corrected, realizing the pattern was that of footsteps. “Really big.”

 

The tremors got stronger, shaking the land and the water we were in. I could hear the trees falling in the distance, branched cracking, leaves rustling, and the thump of trunks hitting the soft earth.

 

Something that powerful and that large would be visible soon.

 

I prepared myself for a fight, just in case. I didn’t have the advantage of freshwater, so I was gonna have to rely on strength and skill if it came to a fight. Durability if it got bad. 

 

 “Either be ready to get the Merry out of here, or be ready to run,” I warned the two.

 

It was pointless. They were frozen in fear, whimpering, eyes full of tears that just waiting for the right incentive to brim over.

 

The trees cleared, revealing none other than a giant.

 

Usopp and Nami screamed bloody murder, while I relaxed a bit. I was still wary of our visitor, never having met him before, but at least it wasn’t some mindless killing machine.

 

The giant let out a loud laugh. “Gababababababa! Why hello there,” he greeted, smiling down at us. “I thought I saw a ship come in. Any chance you guys have alcohol? I drank all mine.”

 

I allowed my tense muscles to loosen. “Hi,” I returned his greeting. “We do, but it’s the crap for cleaning and cooking. I’m sure, you could probably stomach it, but it’s not all that great. You’re welcome to it, if you’d like.”

 

“Good thinking, Mira. Give him what he wants and maybe he won’t eat us,” Usopp whispered in my ear.

 

I had forgotten how little humans really knew about creatures other than themselves. They dismissed truths as myths and accepted myths as fact. Giants were horrible man eating beasts, mermaids were beautiful maidens, and dwarves only went after your socks. 

 

“He’s not going to eat us regardless,” I hissed back at him, not that there weren’t man eating giants out there. There were man eating humans out there too. It was clear that this giant wasn’t after our flesh.

 

The giant cried out in pain. The sudden shout startled me. It terrified the other two.

 

The giant turned to glare at a t-rex, which had bitten his back.

 

“That is… a surprise,” I said, looking at the reptile. I don’t know why I was so surprised. If the plants were anything to go buy, the existence of a dinosaur should’ve been a very real possibility in my brain.

 

The giant pulled out his weapon, an axe fit for a man of his size, slicing the head clean off the animal.

 

Usopp and Nami were huddled together, bawling their eyes out. “Will you two stop it?” I snapped. Their behavior was ridiculous and insulting.

 

The giant lifted the head of the creature, raising it high in the air. “I’m Broggy. Elbaf’s strongest warrior, the invincible!”

 

‘ _Just like I thought._ ’ “I’m Zale Mira Kai,” I introduced myself. “These two crybabies are Nami and Usopp.”

 

“Now I have dinner, and you three are invited as my guests.”

 

Nami and Usopp fell back onto the deck. They held perfectly still. I could hear that they were whispering to one another but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

 

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, creating a mental reminder to smack them later. Clearly they weren’t going to calm down any time soon. “My friends have never seen a giant before. It’s seems that they’re a bit overwhelmed. We would love to, but I’m in no shape to carry them. I’m still recovering from a bullet wound, and I can’t just leave them here alone.”

 

“No worries, little lady. I’ll gladly carry both you and your friends. I’m sure some food and drink will help break the ice.”

 

I glanced at the pair on the deck, deciding that if they would come around eventually. Broggy was nice enough, and now that I knew giants resided on this island I was a lot more curious.

 

 “Sure. Let me go grab that alcohol for you.”

 

I headed down and grabbed a barrel of alcohol. There were other things we could use as a disinfectant until then. I hoisted it up on my shoulder, returning the deck.

 

Broggy took the barrel from me, tucking into a pouch he had been carrying. He grabbed the tail of the dinosaur with one hand and scooped the other two into the palm of the opposite hand. He set it down on the deck, so that I could get on.

 

It had been decades, since I had been carried around by a giant. The thrill was the same as it had been. Being up that high was like nothing else. There was just so much to see, to take in. There were volcanoes and dinosaurs and weird looking rock formation that looked like bone. It was beautiful. I would say that it was ironic considering how dangerous the island was proving to be, but that tended to be the case. The most beautiful things in life were usually the most dangerous.

 

I glanced at Usopp and Nami. They still hadn’t moved. Unsure of what their plan was, I decided not to bother them. Again, they would come around.

 

“This is gorgeous.”

 

Broggy laughed once more. “I guess it is a lot different to someone tiny like you. So Kai was it?

 

“Yep, but I prefer Mira.”

 

“Mira. Pretty name. You know there’s legend of a sea witch of that name?” he teased.

 

I chuckled, ignoring the way my heart seemed to stop beating. “No, I haven’t heard that one before.”

 

“Just a story I heard years ago, they say she was stranded on an island all by her lonesome and that she sinks the ships of anyone, who sails to close stranding them there with her.”

 

“Interesting. Well let me assure you that I am no witch, just a pirate.”

 

 “A pirate? I guess that explains the wound.”

 

“I got a little distracted.”

 

“Rookie mistake.”

 

I nodded. “Yeah, but if you knew my crew, you’d get how easy it is to become distracted.”

 

Broggy was a very upbeat individual. He hummed and sang as he walked back to his camp, pointing things out to me as we passed and answering my questions about the island. Apparently, Little Garden was so isolated that it just stopped evolving, which was why it was still stuck in the dinosaur days.

 

Once, we got to his camp, he set Usopp and Nami down on a bed of hay, and me on a large stone, so that I could continue our conversation, while he broke the dinosaur down and roasted it.

 

 “I think you’re the first human that I’ve ever met, who hasn’t been surprised by a giant,” he said, sitting down and turning the meat.

 

Human.  If he only knew.

 

 “Actually, I’ve met a few giants in my life. Some lived on the same island as me. Other’s just passed through as part of pirate crews.”

 

“You don’t say. Where are you from?”

 

“There’s no translation of it for me to give you.”

 

“Oh well then.”

 

“How’d you end up a pirate?”

 

“I ended up in the East Blue and needed a lift back. Luffy, my captain, offered me a spot on the crew, said he’d take me home after we’d sailed the Grand Line. I’m the newest member, though we do have a guest at the moment.”

 

“The other two are on your crew as well?”

 

“Yeah, they-“I stopped, having glanced over Broggy’s shoulder to check on them. “-Are missing. Damn it,” I swore.

 

A pair of terrified screams came from the jungle nearby.

 

“They’re easy to find,” I said, moving to stand.

 

“Sit. I’ll get them,” Broggy offered.

 

“Thank you.”

 

He returned with the two cowards in tow, sitting them on a log that I had brought over for a bench and dropping a large piece of meat in front of the three of us.

 

“Mira, you’re alive!” Usopp had cried, when he saw me sitting there.

 

“I was never in danger of losing my life. You two are just obnoxious, and even if I was in danger, you just left me. Next time I might let whatever’s after you have you.”

 

“You told us you weren’t going to let anything get us. He got us,” Nami snapped.

 

“We were invited to dinner, and I accepted on your behalf. No one took you. I agreed in your proxy.”

 

“Go on. Eat hearty my friends. It tastes delicious.”

 

We were further up the river, the water here fresh. I pulled it over, through the flames, until it boiled and then used it to slice off, three pieces of meat.

 

“I think I’ve lost my appetite,” Nami said, sounded dejected.

 

“Don’t be shy now. Dig in.”

 

I took a bite and was surprise by how good it was. Sanji would definitely have had fun with this. I thought about him and Zoro, wondering how their hunting was going. I had no clue, where Sanji was, but I could very faintly feel, Sandai Kitetsu. I could feel Luffy as well. He must’ve been a good ways away, because it wasn’t as strong as usual.

 

I couldn’t pin point either of them, but knew their general vicinity.

 

It would probably be handy if I could feel them better, but it had been so long since I opened up to that. I didn’t even know if I could. I had spent long closing off my mind to the world around me, its energy, I didn’t even know if I could open it back up again. I didn’t know if I wanted to. I had spent so long created that dam in my head, just to stay sane. The idea of loosening that hold was terrifying.

 

“Mira,” Broggy said, catching my attention.

 

“I’m sorry. I spaced out. What?”

 

“Do you like it?”

 

“It’s really good.” I emphasized my statement by taking another bite. “It’s sweet. I didn’t see you put anything on it.”

 

“Nope. Natural sweetness.”

 

Usopp and Nami were still crying.

 

“For the love of- He’s not going to eat you,” I said, sternly. “Now, quit your crying, pick up your dinner and thank Broggy for such a nice meal.”

 

“Eat you?”  Broggy asked, before laughing. “I’m not going to eat you.”

 

“See. I pushed food into their hands. Eat.”

 

Both looked between each other, and then bit into their food.

 

“Sorry about them. Like I said. They’ve never met a giant before.”

 

“Like you have,” Usopp scoffed.

 

“A few of them,” I elaborated, taking another bite. “Enough to know that the whole, giants are man eating barbarian things is a stereotype, spread through _ignorance_ and pure _stupidity_.”

 

Usopp and Nami winced at my sharp words.

 

“Not to say there aren’t some bad ones out there, but not all of them.”

 

The two cowards looked ashamed.

 

“Apologize.”

 

“We’re sorry, Mr. Broggy,” they chorused.

 

“And?”

 

“Thank you for the meal.”

 

I grinned, satisfied.

 

“No problem, young lady, young sir.”

 

Nami and Usopp were still nervous, but that was to be expected. After all this was a giant. He could easily kill them. They didn’t know him. They had settled considerably, which was enough for me.

 

“Mr. Broggy, sir? Can I ask you something?” Nami asked.

 

“Sure, what’s on your mind, young lady?”

 

“How long will it take until the log resets?”

 

“One whole year,” Broggy answered.

 

I cringed. Nami and Usopp both fell over backwards in shock.

 

“Yeah… That’s… Bad.” We didn’t have a year. Alabasta’s people could go to war any day now. Not only that a year on this island was sure to completely fry Usopp and Nami’s nerves, and by extension mine.

 

“A BIT OF AN UNDERSTATEMENT DON’T YOU THINK?!” Nami yelled at me. “WE’RE GOING TO DIE HERE!”

 

I forced her to sit back down. “Screaming about it doesn’t help the situation.” I looked up at Broggy. “Do you have-“

 

I was cut off by the eruption of a volcano.

 

Broggy rose to his feet, throwing the remainder of his meat in the fire. He features shifted. The easy going smile replaced by fierce determination.

 

“Broggy?”

 

“Please forgive me, but there is something that I must attend to.

 

“What? You’re leaving?”

 

“No choice. That’s the signal my opponent and I use to mark the beginning of our fight,” he explained. I had earlier inquired as to why he was on the island, so I knew the story, but to the others, it really didn’t explain anything, leading to more questions than answers.

 

“A fight?”

 

“With who? Where? And more importantly why?” Usopp asked.

 

“Why? I don’t remember.”

 

I laughed with Broggy. Oh what time does to the memory.

 

“Why are you laughing?” Nami snapped at you.

 

“I don’t remember,” I said, cracking myself up further, Broggy seeming to also find my joke funny.

 

“You’re a funny girl, Mira. I look forward to finishing our meal, when I return.”

 

“Confidence is good, but don’t get too cocky.”

 

“My opponent and I have been fighting for over a hundred years. I am aware of and respect his skill.” With that, he charged into the jungle towards his opponent, another giant, who had risen from his hiding place.

 

“A hundred years?!”

 

“Giants’ lifespans are three times that of humans,” I explained. “A hundred years doesn’t mean much to them. The giants of Elbaf believe that their god chooses, who wins and who loses. A loss means that they have fallen out of their god’s favor. In this case they’re fighting to see, who their god deems worthy enough to return to their home land.”

 

“Still a fight to the death? Why doesn’t one of them just go somewhere else? Surely someone could lose without dying.”

 

“Death before dishonor,” I said, watching the two behemoths go at it. The force of their blows sent shockwaves through the air, pushing us away from the epicenter of the fight. Their steps rocked the island to its core, shaking the dirt beneath our feet.  Trees were torn from the ground like nothing.

 

A fight between giants. I had heard stories of their epic battles, but had never gotten to experience one for myself. It was a sight to behold.

 

“What an incredible fight! Every one of those attacks is aimed at a vital spot, just one slip from either of them and that’s it, they’re dead.”

 

I nodded in agreement. It was clear that these two knew each other well. That was expected after a hundred years. Each move was precise and deliberate. There was no wasted motion, no wasted effort.

 

“You’d think this would get old,” Nami said. “This is a good thing. This is our chance to get away.”

 

“You’re not still convinced he’s going to eat you are you?” I asked.

 

“You may trust him, but I’m not taking my chances.”

 

‘ _Ridiculous_ ,’ I thought, turning to watch the giants again.

 

Unlike Nami, who was walking away from the camp, Usopp was frozen in place. I thought he was scared at first. I was fully prepared to defend Broggy once more, but then I saw his face. He wasn’t afraid, he was in awe. His eyes were wide, his jaw practically dragging on the floor.

 

“Usopp!” Nami called, when she realized that he wasn’t following.

 

“Amazing. They fight so seriously, and they don’t even know why.”

 

“This fight is getting annoying,” Nami whined.

 

“Don’t you see?” Usopp asked. “This is an example of a real battle, between real men.”

 

“Say what?”

 

“Maybe an analogy will help. It’s as if they each planted a flag in their hearts that says ‘I am a warrior.’ This flag is more important than anything, more than their lives even. They will never allow the flag to be destroyed by someone else. That’s why they’ve both continued this fight for a hundred years. Do you see it now? This is a proud duel, a legendary fight between two dedicated warriors!”

 

“Yeah. Whatever. That warrior stuff doesn’t really interest me in the slightest,” Nami said, dismissively.

 

“That’s because you can’t put a price tag on honor,” I shot.

 

She ignored me. “You coming?”

 

“No. I’m still watching this. This is my ultimate goal, this right here, to be a brave warrior, like each of these titans. Really though one day, I’ll be a proud warrior of the sea.”

 

I smiled at Usopp. “A proud warrior of the sea, a perfect companion for the king of the pirates.”

 

“So what you’re saying is you want to be a giant?”

 

I snorted at Nami’s interpretation. Usopp stomped over to her, yelling about her missing the point, before returning his attention to the fight.

 

The pair both managed to disarm each other, leaving them with only their shields and fists to fight with. They each went for a finishing blow, the punches landing at the same time, knocking them both down.

 

Broggy returned from his battle, battered and bloody, but alive.

 

Usopp began to fawn over the giant, as soon as he was near, explaining his admiration and ambition to Broggy. Broggy was surprised by Usopp at first, but seemed to accept his new found title as master well.

 

I idly wondered what Luffy and Vivi were doing. According to Broggy, they had befriended the other giant, Dorry. Luffy was probably just as enthralled with the epic nature of their battle of Usopp was.

 

The volcano they used as a signal erupted once more. “Well, there’s the signal. It’s really been active today.”

 

“You’re really going? But your wounds from the last battle haven’t healed.”

 

“Please,” Broggy scoffed. “Dorry can’t be doing any better than me. A few scratches won’t take me out of a duel. That surely would be a poor excuse for a brave warrior.”

 

It was a fair point.

 

“I guess so,” Usopp conceded.

 

“Alright then.”

 

“Now, Master Broggy, go and show this guy!” Usopp cheered.

 

“You bet, Usopp! I’m gonna beat him for sure this time. He hasn’t got a chance.”

 

“Go get him, you great warrior of Elbaf! The mighty Broggy always defeats his opponent! You can do it Broggy! You’re the mightiest warrior in the world! You can destroy him any day! Go Broggy!”

 

“Why does he continue this pointless fight?” Nami asked.

 

Usopp turned and exploded on her.

 

Nami was unfazed. “Well now we can get back to the ship. Waiting for a year. No freaking’ way it’s completely unacceptable. We need to get everyone on the ship and come up with a plan.”

 

I was in agreement as much as I wanted to watch this play out, we didn’t have time. There was never going to be a clear victor. They were too evenly matched. Plus, we had to make sure that the others were alright, and figure out how we were going to get to Alabasta.

 

“Now hold on a second. I for one don’t think that we stand a chance against dinosaurs. Cutting through the jungle to get back to the Merry won’t so us much good if we get killed on the way, will it?”

 

“Such bravado from our brave warrior of the sea, afraid of a big lizard,” I teased, standing up.

 

“I said that come day I’ll be a brave warrior of the sea. Besides even a brave warrior has to have enough sense not to get himself killed. Mira, Nami, listen. Even if I should lose everything someday and have to face a horribly tragic death, along on a deserted island, I will proudly say this about how I have lived, “I am Captain Usopp and know that I have been a great brave warrior of the sea!””

 

Usopp hit the ground with a hard thud, his fear causing him to go stiff as a board.

 

“Yeah. Yeah. For now can you just settle for being a dependable warrior?” Nami asked, dragging him by his satchel.

 

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

I shook my head, following the two. “Well then I guess I’ll be on dinosaur duty. I expect you to return the favor, when you’re a brave warrior of the sea.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, now alone in the jungle.

 

Not surprisingly, we had come across a dinosaur, another t-rex from the looks of it. I had delivered on my promise. I had engaged it and beaten it. I hadn’t killed it. It wasn’t like it had done anything to me. It was just looking for something to eat. Regardless, it wasn’t a threat anymore.

 

That didn’t really matter though, because the cowardly duo had bolted the second they saw it. I had been keeping track of them by their screams, but those faded as the distance between them and myself grew. I had no clue where either of them were by this point.

 

“Nami! Usopp!” I called, receiving nothing in reply. ‘ _Idiots._ ’

 

Our goal was to track down Luffy and the others. Nami and Usopp were capable, scared, but capable, and I was sure that they would be able to track down our captain. That meant if I found Luffy, I’d probably find them as well. I had a general idea of, where he was.

 

I returned to my earlier thoughts. If I focused, I could probably pinpoint his location. I still wasn’t sure if that was the route I wanted to go. His presence shouldn’t have even been a blimp on my radar to begin with.  Zoro and that damn cursed blade of his shouldn’t have either. Was my control slipping? If so, then my ability to focus was probably shot. The other option was that Zoro and Luffy were a lot more special than I thought. If that was the case and they were really that strong, then it was likely that trying to focus on them was going to knock me on my ass.

 

I let out an irritated groan. It was frustrating.

 

I took a second to lean against a tree and think. Finding Luffy would be easier, if I wasn’t doing it by myself. With that, I made my decision. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the aura that Sandai Kitetsu gave off. Feeling what little of it had slipped through what I thought were my impenetrable mental defenses was nothing compared to now. It was thirst like I had never felt before. Immediately, my mouth and throat went bone dry. It was distracting, consuming my thoughts. It was enough to drive a weaker soul mad. I blinked my eyes trying to focus, trying to stem the feeling once more. Not entirely. I still needed to find it. I clamped down on that channel, just enough that it was manageable and followed the feeling, trudging through the jungle.

 

I was not meant for the damn jungle, at least not one so dense, and I had to be especially careful, because of my leg. The last thing we needed was for me to strand myself. It took me a lot longer than I would have liked to get to Zoro, but I managed.

 

He wasn’t alone. Nami and Vivi were there too. All three of them were standing on what looked like a massive birthday cake. It had multiple tiers. The top was a spinning bowl-like structure with candles all around the edge.

 

Broggy was laid out on the ground, nearby. A weird white substance was coming from the cake thing, floating through the air in the clearing and accumulating on Nami, Zoro, Vivi and Broggy.

 

I reached from behind the tree that I was leaning against and touched it, rubbing it between my fingers.

 

 “Wax?” Then it clicked. “Damn it,” I swore.

 

Luffy was there as well, firing off attacks, but not hitting anything other than a red mark on the ground.

 

“What were you aiming at?” Zoro yelled pissed off.

 

“I just can’t let you break it,” the little girl said. “Mr. 3-“

 

“Baroque Works,” I grumbled. 

 

Of course they had followed us. It wasn’t surprising. Ms. All-Sunday, Nico Robin , whatever the hell she was going by knew we were coming this way. It was the only way we could go with the log.

 

“-Wouldn’t be happy about that at all.”

 

“What’d you do?” Luffy asked.

 

“During a bullfight, a bull can’t control his urge to attack the red cape. Likewise, you can’t attack anything other than the circle. That’s what I did.”

 

‘ _So she uses colors to control people.’_

 

“AHHHHHHHHH! OKAY THAT DOES IT! I’M MAD NOW! GUM GUM BAZOOKA!” Luffy stretched his arms back and shot them forward, but instead of hitting the cake thing, he hit the circle again and with very little force.

 

This was not how I wanted this day to go. I could take her. She was just a little girl. I had the physical advantage. I was pretty sure that I was immune to her paint power too. I thought I had gotten away from the crew’s questioning, but this was going to start it all over again.

 

I stepped into the clearing.

 

“You’ve got some real talent there with that paint brush,” I commended the girl.  “Captain here’s screwed with you around. I guess that means I have to get rid of you.”

 

“Mira!” Nami yelled in relief.

 

I broke the trap. “I’ll take the girl? You get them free?” I asked.

 

Luffy snickered and shot me a grin. “You got it, Mimi.”

 

I nodded at him, and turned my attention back to the girl. “I never much understood art,” I admitted. “I’ve always performed audio to visuals.” I stalked towards the girl.

 

Luffy geared up for an attack.

 

“We’ll mix the laughter yellow on your back with a little sadness blue to make the last colors trap, tranquil green,” she said, swinging her brush and sending the color flying towards Luffy.

 

I stepped in front of the blue paint.

 

“Mira, don’t,” Zoro barked at me.

 

The seal it me, which was better than Luffy. I looked down at the color on my shirt and started laughing.

 

“Oh no!” Vivi cried.

 

“Damn it! Now Mira’s down.”

 

“See I told you, you should’ve posed, but you wouldn’t listen,” Zoro chirped at the girls. “Now, it’s too late you’re gonna die like that.”

 

“No need to worry about poses yet,” I said, looking up.

 

“Your eyes!” Nami cried out.

 

I ignored it. We could discus my eyes and everything else later. I protected mine, and if that meant that I had to reveal some of my secrets or punch a kid in the face, I was more than willing to do so. I charged the girl, cocking my fist back and thrusting it towards her face.

 

She let out a wail, falling out of the way. She quickly scrambled up ducked under my next swing, taking a brush and running it across Luffy’s back. The color on it blended with the one on her brush as she hurriedly made a seal.

 

Luffy hit the ground.

 

“Tranquil green,” she sputtered.

 

“Sneaky brat.”

 

“This is nice grass,” Luffy said, settling into it on his stomach.

 

I looked over at Vivi and the others. They were completely covered. Clearly, they had to be my priority. I went after it, but was knocked on my ass by Usopp and Vivi’s duck, who came flying out of the jungle with two people that I had never seen before on their asses. I assumed they were more Baroque Works agents.

 

“Shit.”

 

I had to get them out. I couldn’t hit it without worrying about hitting them. Zoro would probably survive the hit, but not the others. I didn’t have and fresh water on me, and now I was too far away from the river to use water. Even if I did, I wasn’t precise enough to cut the wax and not them. If anything, I’d tear through their flesh with the water pressure, or wouldn’t use enough and only harden the wax.

 

“Special attack exploding star!”

 

The two agents were still on Usopp’s tail. The one fired off a gun. The shot hit Usopp and exploded on contact. Usopp’s shot nailed Luffy.

 

“What an idiot. He attacked his own friend.”

 

“Usopp!” I called.

 

“Did- Did Luffy snap out of it?” he asked.

 

Luffy, free of the trap stood up. “Yeah. I’m good now.”

 

 “You guys are the idiots,” I fired back at the Baroque Works morons.

 

Luffy rose up too. “I’m tired of your stupid paints. You’re through. I’m not going to let you hurt anymore of my friends. Now I’m really mad!” he growled out.

 

The guy that had fired at Usopp started laughing. “Oh. You’re mad are you? Look at your friends. Being mad won’t do them any good.”

 

“Oh yes it will! They’re still alive!”

 

I nodded in agreement. I could feel Zoro. How long they were going to remain that way was still up in the air. We had to move quickly.

 

“Are they now? Look again. All they need is some of Ms. Goldenweek’s paint and they’ll be perfect wax statues. Face it. You’re too late to save them.  They’re gone and you know it.”

 

Something started knocking down trees. It was big, its steps shaking the ground, the sound of them rumbling throughout the island.

 

“Mr. Five is right about that. You’re friends are finished, because you were too late to help them and now it’s your turn to die,” a high pitched male voice said.

 

Finally, the trees on the edge of the clearing fell, revealing a guy in a massive suit made of wax.  “I’m guess he’s the wax one,” I said, eyes on the flame on his head.

 

“Uh huh.”

 

“It’s time for candle champion,” Mr. Three declared.

 

“What the heck is that?” Luffy voiced my thoughts.

 

Five answered us. “That thing. That’s what he used one time to take someone down with a forty-two million berry bounty.”

 

“That’s Mr. 3’s greatest work of art,” his partner added.

 

“Time to use your talents, Ms. Goldenweek. I need a very special paint job for my armor. And don’t forget to be artistic.”

 

“After that can I take a break?” the brat asked.

 

“Why yes. You can go get some tea. I prefer that you’d stay out of this. When I’m in this armor I’m nearly impervious to harm. This suit is nearly as hard as iron. It may be made of wax, but it fits like a glove, and it’s impossible for anyone to pierce, and you don’t stand a chance against it. This artwork is flawless!”

 

“Wow that’s so cool!”

 

I rolled my eyes. “Now is not the time to be impressed.”

 

Usopp echoed my sentiments. “Fight!”

 

Luffy went after the candle guy, while I headed towards the three wax figures. I needed to stop that thing. They needed air.

 

“Just where do you think you’re going?” the chick with the umbrella asked. “Five-hundred kilogram drop. She swung her leg around and hit me in the face, her heavy calf pinning me to the ground, crushing my throat.

 

I struggled to breathe. If it wasn’t for the ground giving beneath me, no doubt my skull wouldn’ve been crushed. That startled me. I was nearly killed by a human. It had been a long time since man had presented an actual threat to me. Then again, I hadn’t expected anything like this in Paradise. Admittedly, I hadn’t taken any of these threats too seriously, a mistake on my part. While they may have paled in comparison to the threat that was always lingering over my head, they were still worth acknowledging.

 

Heavy or not, the limb was still made of flesh. I opened my mouth and sank my teeth into her leg.

 

She cried out in pain, leg lifting, giving me a chance to break free.

 

“Fire! We need to use fire! It’s just wax it’ll melt,” Usopp explained.

 

His observation was confirmed by the brat.

 

Before I would land a hit on her, she floated away, lightening herself so that she could be lifted by her umbrella.

 

Five fired at Usopp, who looked to use an exploding star to melt the wax off of the others.  “When we say that you don’t stand a chance, it’s best to believe us.”  


“Exactly. Thousand kilogram drop!” I barely rolled out of the way. The impact of her landing, created a huge crater. She floated up out of it over to Usopp and Carue.

 

The duck took off, something in its mouth. He was fired upon by Five.

 

Blondie sat on Usopp. She was increasing her weight, crushing Usopp.

 

“I’ve had enough of you,” I grumbled, swinging my leg around and cracking her in the back of her head, causing her to fall forwards off of Usopp.

 

My leg, having held up surprisingly well throughout everything finally gave out on me, causing me to fall. My good leg was still draped over her back.

 

“You okay?” I asked, Usopp.

 

“Yeah,” he said.

 

Luffy came running towards the wax thing, dragging Three by his hair.

 

“That tiny little flame isn’t gonna work quickly enough,” Usopp said to Luffy. “The rope that Carue has, light that on fire.”

 

“A rope, how is that supposed to help us?”

 

“Just trust me on this. I covered the whole thing in oil.”

 

“Alright everyone, it’s time to wake up.”

 

“Usopp, you’re a genius, but this is gonna suck.”

 

Usopp grunted in agreement.

 

Luffy lit the rope and the entire thing burst into flames.

 

Three panicked and ran, cursing Luffy, taking the little brat with him.

 

“Damn it! How dare you mock Baroque Works agents!” Five yelled.

 

Blondie had snuck away when everything went up in flames. She came crashing down on my chest, knocking the wind out of me, while kicking Usopp.

 

“That’s it! Playtime’s really over now! I’m gonna crush your stupid little necks!” She flew up into the air. “Ten thousand kilogram guillotine!” She went into a split, one leg positioned over Usopp’s neck, the other over mine.

 

I couldn’t get out of there, still gasping for breath, trying to re-inflate my lungs. Even if I could’ve crawled out of the way, I wasn’t going to be able to get Usopp out of there. I wasn’t just gonna leave him to die.

 

Vivi and Nami jumped out of the flames, each of them wielding their respective weapons. The pair knocked Blondie off of her flight path, away from Usopp and myself, and knocked her out.

 

“That was really hot,” Nami said, “Couldn’t you have thought of another plan?”

 

“You’re being a little picky here, don’t you think? Aren’t you at least a little bit grateful?” Usopp  asked, standing up.

 

“You have a point there. Thanks.”

 

“It’s amazing. I can’t believe, we’re actually alive,” Vivi said.

 

“Hmmm,” I hummed.

 

“Got out of the wax, did ya? Well, I’ve had enough. We simply cannot afford for you to screw up our mission anymore.”

 

“Hey, Mr. Five! Special attack, exploding star!”

 

Usopp fired another shot off at Five, who simply swallowed it.

 

“You fool. Haven’t you figured out that you’re pathetic explosives don’t affect me at all. They’re nothing to an exploding man.”

 

I finally sat up, having regained my breath.

 

Five started to sweat, face turning red. I chucked at his misfortune.

 

“I’m sorry. I told a little lie. That wasn’t an exploding star. That was my special tabasco star.”

 

Usopp laughed as Five suffered. “I had to learn how effective that was the hard way.”

 

“Damn you, stupid pirate! I refuse to let you make a mockery of me!”

 

Usopp squeaked in fear, realizing that provoking him wasn’t the brightest idea. He tried to run, but Five caught up and grabbed a hold of him quickly.

 

Vivi and Nami took a defensive stance, ready to protect Usopp.

 

I attempted to stand and failed. “I can’t walk right now, so can you just hurry up and take care of this, so we can head back to the ship?” I asked.

 

The flames, swirled, as the air feeding them was manipulated by the swift movements of three blades.

 

“Flaming, oni giri!”

 

Zoro emerged from the flames, commanding the fire enveloping his body as if it was his own, looking truly like a demon, rising from the depths of hell. His movements sliced Five of course, but setting him on fire as well.

 

“You know these flaming swords aren’t too bad,” he said.

 

“How in the hell do you carry that thing?” I asked, glaring at Sandai Kitetsu. Remembering how it felt, the flames that licked at my skin were nothing compared to that sword.

 

“Curse starting to scare you?” he teased.

 

“That curse should kill you,” I told him. “I used it to find you. I thought it was going to kill me.”

 

Broggy, free of the wax got up.

 

“Hey there. Glad to see you made it out alive,” Zoro said.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Broggy looked over at his fallen comrade sadly.

 

“Master?”

 

Usopp seemed to snap Broggy out of this thoughts. “Now, it seems that there are only two foes left.”

 

“Luffy can handle them,” I said.

 

The others all made noises of agreement.

 

“Zoro, we need to stitch you up,” I said, noting the gashes in his legs. I didn’t get how he was even standing.

 

“I think you’re stitches need redone as well,” Vivi said.

 

“Probably,” I looked down at the red spot on my thigh. “We need to find an island with a store. I need clothes.”

 

“I can lend you some until we get to a store,” Nami offered.

 

“Don’t do it,” Zoro said. “She’ll charge you out the ass.”

 

Vivi walked over to me and helped me up, supporting me, so that I could stand up.

 

Luffy returned, confirming that Baroque Works was gone for now, and that at the moment, we were safe.

 

With the threat gone, Broggy could finally take in the result of his duel. It didn’t matter that they had spent a century fighting. They were friends, brothers in arms at one point. They had sailed the seas together. Broggy had won, but he had also lost. He was alone now, at least until he returned to Elbaf.

 

The giant sat down, the weight of his victory crashing down on him, and began to cry. His wails were loud, painfully so. Tears poured down around us like rain. It was heartbreaking to watch.

 

That heaviness vanished, when Dorry sat up, shocking all of us.

 

“Dorry! You’re alive!” Broggy exclaimed.

 

“I must’ve lost consciousness,” he said. He was still heavily wounded, and his breathing was labored.

 

“How are you still alive?”

 

“The weapons, the saved me,” Dorry answered.

 

I nodded in understanding. It made sense. Even with the proper tools to take care of them. It was impossible for the average weapon could survive a hundred years of dueling. The weapons were dull, better suited for bludgeoning than blades at this point.

 

“It’s a miracle really,” Usopp said.

 

Broggy pulled Dorry into a tight embrace.

 

“Broggy, will you let go? I’m a little sore here.”

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so glad you’re still alive, Dorry. It’s amazing.”

 

“Oh come on. This isn’t a miracle. The fact that those weapons are even in tact after a century of fighting is the miraculous part. They should be scrap by now. I’m surprised they lasted this long.”

 

“What a day this was! Thank you, god of Elbaf for this wonderful day!”

 

“Oh is that true Broggy? You think that fighting me while I was injured, cutting me down and knocking me out was all wonderful?”

 

“Don’t be an idiot, Dorry. That’s not what I’m saying and you know it.” He hit Dorry in the shoulder.

 

“Would you keep your hands off my wounds?” Dorry asked, chuckling and hitting Broggy in the chest.

 

The pair threw light blows back and forth, steadily increasing in power.

 

“You try doing that again and see how far you get!”

 

“Yeah I can take you down in a heartbeat!”

 

The two giants were in each other’s faces ready to go once more.

 

“You two are ready to fight already?!” Nami called out.

 

I shook my head at their antics. “YO!” I called up at them. “How about we all take care of ourselves and then you can brawl? Usopp’s got burns. Luffy’s got burns. I got burns. I need stitches. I don’t know what Zoro did, but he needs them too. Sanji’s still missing.”

 

“She’s right,” Vivi agreed.

 

We headed back to camp, after sending Usopp and Luffy to grab supplies. Once they did, I went to work patching everyone up. Broggy took care of Dorry. I stitched up Zoro’s legs, berating him the entire time for his stupid idea.

 

I then fixed up my leg, happy to see that it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. Nami and Vivi helped everyone apply salve to their burns. Usopp ad Luffy continued to questioned Broggy and Dorry about everything their lives as pirates, their bounties, while munching on snacks that they had found. They ended up wrestling on the ground, while Zoro and Nami pondered what to do about the pose.

 

“All of you helped to save us from those other guys. If we can, we’d really like to return the favor,” Broggy said.

 

“Well maybe you guys can do something about our log pose, so that we won’t be stuck here.”

 

“Negative,” I said from my spot in the grass.

 

“I’m afraid the log pose is the one thing we can’t help you with.”

 

“Waaaa ha ha! Nami my sweet! Vivi my love! Mira my dear! And all the rest of you.”

 

I looked up at Sanji, happy to see that he was okay.

 

“Hey Sanji,” Luffy greeted.

 

“You’re all alive. I’m so happy.”

 

I snorted, watching as he bumbled towards Vivi and Nami. He quickly sobered up from his love drunk buzz, when he saw Dorry and Broggy.

 

“What the hell is going on? And is one of you Mr. Three?”

 

“Luffy kicked Three’s ass,” I explained. “They’re Dorry and Broggy.”

 

“How do you know about Mr. Three anyway?” Nami asked.

 

Sanji’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, when they landed on Nami, who was still in her bra. “Whoa! Nami, you look absolutely amazing in that outfit.”

 

Nami balled up a fist. “Say that again,” she threatened.

 

“Now Nami, if you stand around dressed like that all day, you’ll catch cold. Here. Take my coat.” Sanji handed her his jacket.

 

“Oh. Thank you.”

 

“And they say chivalry is dead,” I chirped.

 

Sanji sat down on one of the logs we were using as a bench. “So I just finished talking to that Mr. Zero guy over a transponder snail.”

 

“Mr. Zero?!”

 

“Yeah. That guy. I was talking to him in this weird hide out place I found in the jungle. He thought I was some guy called Mr. Three and I thought it would be a good idea to let him believe it, and since I had him on the line I went ahead and told him that we were all dead.”

 

“So he thinks he doesn’t have to send people after us anymore,” Vivi realized.

 

I smirked. “Clever boy.”

 

“So you mean we’re finally free of people chasing us now that we can’t go anywhere anyway? Oh that is just perfect.”

 

“Better than being sitting ducks with an endless number of agents coming after us,” I offered.

 

“We can’t go? Why? Or is there still something that we need to take care of here? That’s a real shame after I managed to get a hold of this thing.”

 

He pulled an eternal pose out of his pocket.

 

“Cheeky boy.” My grin widened.

 

Everyone else’s jaws fell slack in shock.

 

“An eternal pose to Alabasta! Alright!” Luffy cheered, the others joining in.

 

“Thank you Sanji! I was getting really worried!” Vivi pulled Sanji into a hug.

 

“Now now it was all my pleasure. I’m just glad I could make you happy.”

 

I chuckled at his dopey grin, letting him have his moment. He earned it.

 

“Here.” Zoro extended a hand to help me up.

 

“You nearly cut your feet off, take it easy,” I said, getting up on my own.

 

“Whatever. Suit yourself.”

 

He and Sanji started in on each other about their hunting contest once more.

 

“Boys.”

 

“Giant old guys, it’s been a lot of fun, but we have to go,” Luffy said to Dorry and Broggy.

 

“Of course. Right. We can tell you need to get going.”

 

“It’s too bad that you have to leave so soon. I hope you get to your homeland in time,” Dorry said to Vivi.

 

“Me too. Thank you.”

 

“It was nice meeting you,” I said, waving as I walked off with Luffy and Nami.

 

“Is your leg alright?” Nami asked.

 

“I’ll be fine,” I said.

 

“Mira, my dear,” Sanji sang, picking me up.  “I’ll make sure you get back to the Merry without aggravating your injury.”

 

“Sanji, I can- You know what. Never mind. Sanji, walk me through a soufflé what’s the process?”

 

 We made it back to the Merry with no incidents. Every one cleaned themselves up, showering, changing the works. When I came back out on deck, Sanji and Zoro were arguing over who had caught the bigger beast, Nami yelling at them for their arguing.

 

The anchor was lifted, the sail unfurled. I grinned as everyone bickered and squabbled as we made it down the river out to sea. We reached the mouth of the river. Dorry and Broggy stood on either side of it, the pair looking out at the ocean.

 

“Hey, look at that. It’s the giants. They must’ve come to say goodbye.”

 

“A great danger still lies ahead of you,” Broggy warned us.

 

“It is an obstacle that has always been here, trying to prevent people from reaching the next island. Every one of you fought like true warriors, trying to protect the pride of our duel,” Dorry added.

 

“And because you were willing to do that, no matter what enemy you may face-“

 

“We will never let them destroy your pride friends.”

 

“You must have faith in what we say. Go straight. No matter what happens keep going straight. Understand?”

 

“Yeah. Got it,” Luffy answered.

 

“What was that about?”  Zoro asked.

 

“Yeah, I don’t understand.”

 

“No matter what happens keep going straight,” Luffy reiterated.

 

“Is that an order, Captain?” I asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“You heard him,” I said to the others.

 

We sailed out to sea.

 

“This is goodbye.”

 

“Until we meet again one day.”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“Look over there!” Nami pointed out, where something massive was surfacing.

 

“Hello, Island Eater,” Dorry greeted the creature.

 

“You will open the path! In the name of Elbaf you will open it!”

 

“Island Eater?” I questioned.

 

I looked behind us. The two giants raised their weapons.

 

The creature finally broke through the water, and to say that we were all shocked was an understatement.

 

“That is a gold fish,” I said, not believing what I was saying, despite the proof in front of my very eyes.

 

“Usopp, what are you doing? Go inside and work the rudder or else we’re going to be eaten.”

 

“Yeah, but we have to go straight ahead. Isn’t that right, Luffy?”

 

Luffy hummed in affirmation.

 

“Don’t be a moron, Luffy. This isn’t going to be anything like what happened with Laboon,” Nami yelled.

 

“Yeah, I know. Now calm down. Here.  I’ll even let you have the last rice cracker.”

 

“I don’t want the last rice cracker! If we don’t turn around right now, that thing is going to eat us!”

 

“Nami, just give it up,” Zoro said.

 

Nami gave up, eating the rice cracker and crying.

 

“Luffy, you really sure we can trust those little pals of yours?” Sanji questioned.

 

“Little,” I scoffed.

 

“Yep.”

 

“Are we really going straight into that beast’s belly?”

 

“Uh huh. It’s too late to turned now,” Nami cried.

 

We headed forward, the light disappearing as we entered the gold fish’s cavernous mouth. I leaned against the railing, trying to figure out what Broggy and Dorry’s move was going to be. I ignored the others.

 

The darkness was disrupted by a blue and red light. It ripped through the gold fish, allowing us to sail out the other side.

 

Nami and Vivi both collapsed on the deck, relief taking over.

 

“I thought we were going to die,” Vivi said.

 

“Me too,” Nami whined.

 

“Better get used to it,” I chimed, heading inside.


	9. Chapter 9

I was standing at the stove, boiling water for coffee and tea. I couldn’t sleep, the day’s events replaying in my mind. I had gotten off fairly easy. Between the giants, Baroque Works the goldfish, and Nami coming down with a fever, I had managed to avoid any questions about my eyes, about how the hell I had found Zoro, how I’d known about giants and any more questions about my abilities.

 

I thought it would be easy to keep everything a secret, but clearly I was wrong. Paradise was far more complex, far more dangerous than I had thought it would be. It was nonstop, Baroque Works, straight into dealing with dinosaurs, from dinosaurs to giants, from giants back to Baroque Works. I didn’t have time to plan, to make up a solid story or think of any alternative moves.

 

I was careless, more so than ever before. I had spent centuries hiding myself and my family from the world. But this time I wasn’t afraid for them. Luffy and the others had no clue, where I was from, how to get there, who they would find. Even if he did, I doubted he would go after them. That just wasn’t his style.

 

I was honestly more afraid about how they’d react. Would they hate me? Turn on me? Kick me off? Try to kill me? I was enjoying myself. Being aboard the Merry with these guys was exciting. I was visiting places that I had never seen, some that I had never even heard of, meeting new people, and seeing people I hadn’t seen in decades.

 

“Mimi, why are you up?”

 

I nearly jumped out of my skin, when Luffy’s voice broke through my thoughts. I realized my water was boiling. I pulled out the coffee, the coffee press, the tea leaves and the infuser.

 

“I couldn’t sleep, and it’s getting cold. I’m making Sanji some coffee, and I’m gonna take him his jacket and a blanket.”

 

It wasn’t too too cold, but the temperature was dropping. We must’ve been nearing a winter island. Sanji was up in the crow’s nest, on watch for the night. He was the only one, who wasn’t burnt and didn’t have any open wounds. I would’ve offered to relieve him of his watch entirely, but I knew that he wouldn’t go for it. Even if I wasn’t injured, he’d talk about how it was an honor to protect, Nami, Vivi and I or something like that. Just the thought made me roll my eyes.

 

I looked over my shoulder at Luffy. He was standing in the doorway, head cocked to the side. I couldn’t help but smile softly at him.

 

Luffy was a child still, seventeen years old, yet he’d beaten up highly skilled assassins, pounded some of the most dangerous pirates in the East Blue. He’d escaped a would-be execution and marine capture. He’d survived one of the worst storms this side of the Red Line. He was a damn pirate. And here he was standing in front of me with a tired expression, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes, looking more like an adorable child than any criminal had a right to.

 

“Why are you up?” I asked.

 

“I’m hungry.”

 

I chuckled. “I don’t know why I asked. I’ll make you something.”

 

I poured the water into the press and into my tea cup, and gathered up the stuff to make Luffy a sandwich, while the beans and leaves diffused in the water.

 

He sat down at the table, watching as I worked. “Is Nami okay?” he asked.

 

“She’s no worse off than she was,” I responded. “I’ve been doing what I can, but this isn’t something I’m familiar with.”

 

I had been doing what I could to help, but whatever it was that was wrong was something that I had never seen before, and even if I knew what it was, I couldn’t do anything to sure it. I knew how to take care of sick people, but I didn’t know how to cure them. I knew basic remedies for some minor bugs, ways to soothe upset stomachs and scratchy throats, but that was it.

 

It was so frustrating. How long had I been alive? How many sick people had I seen? How many had I helped Cal treat? And now I was standing here useless, taking coffee to Sanji and making Luffy a sandwich, because I wasn’t able to help the one person on the ship, who actually needed it.

 

 “She’ll be okay,” Luffy said. “We’re gonna find a doctor, and everything will be fine.”

 

I looked back at him. He was so confident. There was no way to know how our course really looked. The eternal pose only pointed to Alabasta, our log pose had never set, and the only person on board who could possibly figure out a way to the next island given these circumstances was sick, and somehow, I believed him. Everything was going to be fine.

 

“Luffy?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Why did you ask me to join?”

 

“Huh?” My questioned seemed to catch him off guard.

 

“Why did you ask me to join your crew?”

 

“Because you’re from the Grand Line,” he answered like it was obvious.

 

“And that was enough? You didn’t know anything about me. Hell, you still don’t know much about me.”

 

“So? You’re a good person, Mimi, and even if you weren’t it all would’ve worked out in the end.”

 

“You can’t possibly know that.”

 

“I do.”

 

“And that’s all that matters?” I questioned. “You just know that everything’s gonna work out?”

 

“Yep,” he responded.

 

“What if I turn out to be an undercover marine or a thief?”

 

He shrugged.

 

“Luffy, what if I told you I wasn’t nineteen?” I turned fully to face him, to gauge his reaction. “That I’d never eaten a devil fruit? That I’m nearly a thousand years old? What if I told you that I wasn’t human?”

 

Luffy’s mouth split into a grin. “That would be so cool! Would you be a vampire? Or some kind of monster? Would you fly?”

 

“You wouldn’t care?”

 

“Nope.”

 

I was still skeptical. After all hypotheticals were lost on him. I had to hit him with the truth and hoped that he actually believed me.

 

“I’m not human,” I said, slowly watching his reaction.

 

He nodded excitedly. “Alright.”

 

“I’m 992 years old.”

 

“Hey, you’re older than Dorry and Broggy!”

 

I ignored his enthusiasm. “I never ate a devil fruit. I was born with my powers.”

 

“Cool! Can you do anything else?”

 

I didn’t answer his question, going straight for the source of all this. “My father’s the sea devil.”

 

“Can I have my sandwich, now?”

 

I just blinked at him.  “Your sandwich?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You don’t have anything to say about me telling you that my dad is literally the sea devil? I don’t mean he’s an asshole, and I’m just calling him a devil, because I don’t like him. He has powers. He created the devil fruits. He’s caused disasters. He’s the reason for that storm that hit us after we hit the iceberg on our way to Whisky Peak.”

 

“Nope.”

 

“You don’t care?”

 

“Nu uh.”

 

“Do you even believe me?” I asked.

 

I didn’t think Luffy had it in him to toy with me like that, but the longer I went on, the more it felt like I was being played, that this was all part of some joke. I was gonna stop, and then he was going to burst out laughing. Sure, I could believe everything was going to be alright, when Luffy said it, but it sure as hell didn’t work, when I thought it. How in the hell would this be alright?

 

“Mira,” he said, voice surprisingly serious for once, using my actual name. “You’re a part of this crew. I don’t care who your dad is.”

 

“And the rest of it?”

 

“Who cares? Our stewardess is a super cool vampire!”

 

I let out a sigh of relief. Clearly Luffy didn’t fully understand what I had told him, but there was no point in correcting him about it, because he just didn’t care.

 

 “I’m not a vampire,” I said, finishing his sandwich, and setting it down in front of him.

 

“Can you turn into a bat?”

 

I started making a sandwich for Sanji.

 

“No. Luffy, if I was a vampire, I wouldn’t be able to go into the sun.”

 

“You’re right,” he agreed seeming to take my vampirism or lack thereof more seriously than the information I had actually given him.

 

“Luffy, can you keep this a secret, until Nami’s better?”

 

“Why?”

 

Luffy had handled this well, but Luffy was admittedly an idiot. He should’ve been way more concerned. He should’ve thought I was insane or something. If not that he should’ve been at least pissed off that I had been lying to them. The others were more sensible than our captain, and I was sure that my admission would create tension on the ship. We didn’t that right now. Afterwards, we could deal with that. We still had a ways to go, before we got to Alabasta, enough time for them to kick me out, pick fights, interrogate me, whatever.

 

“Cause I Nami’s sick, and I don’t want to freak anyone out until she’s better.”

 

Luffy nodded accepting my logic. “I will on two conditions.”

 

“And they would be?”

 

 He looked at the sandwich in front of me.

 

“You are a bottomless pit,” I said, handing it to him, and making yet another for Sanji.

 

“And the other?”

 

“Once you tell everyone, no more lies.”

 

“Luffy, it’s not that simple. There are things that I don’t know if I should tell you.”

 

“Then say that, but no more lies.”

 

I sighed. “No more lies.”

 

“You promise?”

 

“I promise.”

 

“Good.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

“Get back here!” I yelled at Luffy, running out onto the deck after him, his coat in my hand. “I don’t care if you don’t like it! Put your damn coat on, and real shoes!” I barked. I knew it was ridiculous. One, to be yelling at my captain, and two, because he wasn’t going to listen. I couldn’t help it. It was a habit, one deeply ingrained into my personality by years of chasing children around with nearly every article of clothing imaginable.

 

We were definitely near a winter island. The slight chill from previous night had turned into a deep freeze by morning. Snow was steadily falling from the sky, the thick heavy stuff perfect for packing.

 

Vivi and I had taken turns keeps watch over Nami, checking her temperature, placing cool compresses on her head. Seeing as I could lift her with ease, I had carried out navigator out on the deck a few times, using the natural cold to help cool her down. Vivi was down in our room now, so I had headed up to check on everyone else. Zorro had taken Sanji’s place up in the crow’s nest, while Sanji had gone to rest up for a bit. I had taken care of breakfast and lunch. Usopp and Luffy kept each other entertained. While they were inside, I had sat there and sewed one of the spare blankets into a makeshift cloak for myself. It was nice to sew something other than flesh for a change. Luffy ignored me heading straight to the bow of the ship.

 

I rolled my eyes and followed him, slinging my makeshift cloak over my shoulders.

 

“Hey,” Zoro called from the crow’s nest.

 

I looked up and realized that he too was without his jacket. I rolled my eyes. ‘ _Bunch of idiots,_ ’ I thought. ‘ _At least he has a coat._ ’ “It’s all fun and games until people start losing toes,” I muttered.

 

“Hey, Zoro, do you see any doctors yet?” Luffy asked.

 

“Luffy, you can’t be serious.”

 

“Guys? You think… people… can stand on top of the ocean?”

 

I furrowed my brows. I could think of a few, and if was any of them, we were in for some shit. In one of the scenarios I had conjured up in my head, it was a devil fruit user, which likely meant a fight, and a fight against someone, who could avoid water, put us at a disadvantage. Even worse was the scenario in which they hadn’t eaten a devil fruit, like my father and that certainly meant a fight.  The last scenario was that Zoro was losing it. He had been up there for a while and it was cold. It was likely that it was getting to him, especially since he didn’t have a damn coat.

 

“What? Do I think it’s possible?” Luffy asked.

 

“What kind of question is that? It’s impossible of course.”

 

“It’s possible,” I corrected Usopp. “But not likely. What do you see?”   

 

“That,” Zoro pointed ahead of us.

 

We followed his finger out over the ocean, where sure enough there was a man standing. He was wrapped up in pastel colored furs, a bow and quiver of arrows on his back.

 

“Hello. Sure is chilly today,” he greeted.

 

The others all pulled faces, confused and somewhat shocked. You’d think that would’ve worn off some after the giants, but apparently not.

 

“Yeah. It is,” I responded, easily. He seemed nice enough. I was on my guard still, but I’d rather exchange pleasantries and move on that pick a fight.

 

“Definitely,” Usopp agreed. “In fact, I would say it’s freezing.”

 

“Really?” the guy on the water said.

 

His response seemed to startle Luffy and Usopp and Zoro. This guy was there, standing on the water, holding a conversation with us.

 

I didn’t think he was like me. I couldn’t sense anything from him. At the same time, I still hadn’t started training that sense again. Kitetsu III could almost knock me on my ass, I was sure that anything stronger than that most definitely would.

 

I didn’t have time to dwell on that, needing to quickly take hold of the railing in to keep from tumbling down the deck, as the Merry was thrown back from the waves produced by a large medal dome bursting out of the ocean.

 

“What is that thing? A watermelon?” Luffy asked.

 

“The metal walls of the dome retracted, revealing a deck and sails. I had never ever seen a ship like this one before.

 

“Oh crap! It’s a pirate ship!” Usopp yelled.

 

“It’s huge!”

 

I narrowed my eyes at it. The deck was lined with men.

 

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Don’t tell me that our underwater raid-ship the Tin Tyrant surprised you?!”

 

It was practically instantaneous. We were all surrounded on all side by men in the same get up as those on the other ship, each of them with guns pointed at us.

 

I knew that friendly chit chat wasn’t going to get us through this without a fight deep inside, but I couldn’t help, but feel a bit disappointed.

 

Sanji came bursting outside, stopping, when he realized he was surrounded, and pulling out a cigarette and his matches.  “So what’s going on?” he asked.

 

“Well, we’re under attack, and it’s still snowing,” Luffy answered.

 

“Well yeah. The guns pointed in my face kind of gave that away. What next?”

 

“You guys consider yourself a band of pirates? How amusing. I only count four of you,” said a man draped in a hippopotamus themed fur, eating meat off is his sword.

 

‘ _Disgusting_ ,’ I thought. He was standing there, chewing with his mouth open like some kind of animal or Luffy. He finished his meat and then in a move that surprised all of us, chomped down on his sword.

 

“Sort of strange that your group would have so few members,” he commented.

 

“Kay that’s just weird. What kind of guy likes to eat knives?” Luffy asked.

 

“My gums are bleeding just watching!”

 

“Alright. I’ll keep this simple. See my men and I here wish to travel to Drum Kingdom. You wouldn’t happen to have an eternal pose or a log pose would ya?”

 

“Nope. Can’t help. Sorry, but I’ve never heard of this Drum Kingdom.”

 

“Now that we have that all settled, can you guys just leave already? We’re in a hurry. We don’t have time to deal with all this.”

 

“You’ll never enjoy life if you’re always in a rush, but if you have neither pose, what can be done? I guess I’ll have to settle for your treasure and this ship. But first thing’s first. I’m feeling a bit hungry.”

 

The man bit down on part of the Merry, biting the wood, tearing a section off and chewing it.

 

“He’s a ship eating monster!” Usopp yelled.

 

“Hey! Our ship isn’t your lunch!” Luffy yelled.

 

“He’s a devil fruit eater,” I corrected. ‘ _Scenario number one._ ’

 

“Be quiet. Wapol doesn’t like to be disturbed when he’s eating,” one of the guys with guns said.

 

Luffy smack two of them over the head. “Shut up!”

 

“We’re under attack. Shoot him!” they commanded, firing at Luffy.

 

I smirked. Might as well make the best of the situation. This was a good chance to blow off some steam, release some of the tension that Nami’s illness had created. “You should be happy we’re in a rush. We’re going to make this quick.”

 

One of the men fired at me. I dodged the bullet, charging at him, knocking the weapon out of his hand and swinging him by his arm into another of the men, tossing them both overboard. The goons were entirely too easy to take care of. They couldn’t shoot worth a damn, their hand to hand was terrible, and their swordsman ship was amateur at best. I didn’t even have to throw a hit. Their attacks were all sloppy that all I had to do was dodge and redirect and they took out each other.

 

Sanji and Zoro were making quick work of them as well, Sanji seemed to be having a little bit of fun. Zoro was just bored.

 

Wapol seemed too focused on eating the Merry to notice his men’s distress, or the livid Luffy raging towards him.

 

“Hey, Wapol, we need help,” one of them called.

 

“YOU STILL EATING?! HEY YOU!”

 

Wapol finally turned around.

 

“You fool! You’re no match for Wapol!” one of his men yelled at Luffy.

 

“Now you’re going to be eaten by the power of the munch munch fruit.”

 

Shut up,” I barked, spinning around and kicking one of them. I grabbed another, twisting his wrist, and wedged my foot under his chin, before falling back on the deck, the impact causing his neck to snap.

 

Wapol bit down on Luffy, but it was too late. He didn’t stand a chance. Luffy had already thrown his arms back, stretching them far out over the ocean.

 

Zoro pulled me to my feet, while Sanji greeted, Vivi, who had run out onto the deck, probably alarmed by the sound of a fight.

 

“I normally prefer someone less chewy,” Wapol griped.

 

“I SAID LEAVE!” Luffy yelled, muffled by Wapol’s mouth.

 

Luffy hit him with a gum gum bazooka, sending the jackass flying.

 

I grinned, watching as the enemy crew freaked out, realizing not only that we were way more powerful than they thought, but that their beloved Wapol was probably going to drown unless he got lucky and landed on another ship or an island.

 

They rushed back to their own ship, screaming at us about blood and vengeance and blah blah blah.

 

“Wow. Crazy. Those guys were really upset. What were they calling that old garbage can? Wapol?” Usopp asked.

 

“Who cares about what his name was. Forget about it. The guy was obviously a moron. Best to just forget about him.”

 

“I know him,” Vivi said quietly. “But from where?”

 

I shook my head. “Look at this mess, and I just cleaned the deck in Little Garden too.”

 

Everything returned to business as usual after that. I took over Nami watch until I had to take a nap, so that I could stay awake for my watch that night. When I woke up, Luffy and Zoro were apparently on Nami watch, Luffy sitting in the chair, while Zoro sat on the floor, leaning back against the bed.

 

I smiled at the sight. Zoro was nodding off, and Luffy was trying everything he could think of to wake Nami up.

 

“No change?” I asked.

 

“No,” Luffy said, sadly.

 

I got up and walked over checking her temperature and replacing the compress on her head. “Still feverish,” I said, frowning. “She needs food and water, but I can’t get that into her right now, and there’s no guarantee that she’ll be able to keep it down.”

 

“I was thinking about that too,” Vivi said, entering the room. “Sanji made some broth in case she wakes up. He sent me down to tell you guys that dinner’s ready.”

 

I nodded, stretching. “I’ll be up in a minute,” I said.

 

I went to the bathroom and cleaned up a bit, before grabbing my makeshift cloak and going upstairs. I tossed it on the bench and took my seat at the table. Dinner was its usual affair, though much quieter without Nami yelling at Luffy. None of us were fit to navigate through the night, so we were going to anchor and sail in the morning.

 

I did the dishes and checked on Nami one last time, before grabbing my cloak and blanket and starting for the deck. I made a stop at the boys’ room, where Zoro was laying in his hammock, having a post dinner snooze.

 

“Zoro?”

 

“Yeah?” he responded, cracking an eye open to look at me.

 

“Mind if I borrow, Kitetsu for a while?”

 

He furrowed his brows in confusion. “Why do you want Kitetsu?”

 

“Cause, the curse on that blade nearly knocked me on my ass. I think we need a moment to bond, work out some sort of agreement, so that doesn’t happen.”

 

“I’ve been wondering why it affects you so much more than me,” he said, lifting the sword from, where it was resting against the wall. He ran his hand along the length of its scabbard, before, unsheathing the blade.

 

“I’m curious how you noticed it,” I returned. “Kitetsu has a pretty heavy curse on it, but most people can’t feel it. They feel afraid, but that’s only because of the stories that come with it. You have to have strong spiritual capabilities, but you don’t seem like the type hone those.”

 

“Meditation.” He said nothing else, but he didn’t have to. Meditation was a great way to focus, to calm yourself and build you mental fortitude. It was necessary for a swordsman, especially one of Zoro’s caliber.

 

I nodded. “You used meditation to build up your mental dexterity and found some semblance of spirituality. I found spirituality and then strengthened myself mentally. That is why the curse affects me so much more than you. You think about it and then feel it. I feel it and then think about it.”

 

Zoro sheathed Kitetsu, and tossed the scabbard towards me. I caught it easily, feeling put off by the object in my hand.

 

“I’ll bring it back safe and sound.”

 

“I’m more concerned about you than Kitetsu,” Zoro teased.

 

“Look at you, finally getting a rib in. It only took you how long now?”

 

“Yeah yeah,” he grumbled. “Just go take your watch already.”

 

I left the boys room and headed back up to the helm and out onto the deck.

 

“Wait,” Sanji stopped me, before I went outside. I turned to look at him. I hadn’t seen much of Sanji outside of the fight and dinner, having spent most of my time staying with Nami. He had seemed quieter than usual, which I attributed to his concern for Nami at first, but then I realized that he wasn’t distracted like I had initially thought. He was focused… on me. He was studying me, discretely looking for something.

 

Despite the tightness in my chest, I remained composed. This time I was better prepared. I wasn’t immediately put on the spot like I had been the other times. I didn’t need to come up with a quick lie. I had promised I wouldn’t.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Here.” He held his jacket open for me to slide into. Even with the suspicions, I was sure were swirling in his mind right now, he was still a perfect gentleman.

 

“And what are-“

 

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m gonna stay inside anyways.”

 

I nodded.

 

“I’ll bring you a snack and a beverage later during your watch. Any requests, my dearest Mira?”

 

“Actually, if you could bring me up a cup of tea later, that would be much appreciated,” I said, sweetly. I lowered my voice as to not attract the attention on Usopp and Luffy, who were looking at some gizmo that the former had made. “We’ll talk later. Remember to grab someone else’s coat.”

 

“Of course,” he said, as I zipped up the jacket.

 

I stepped on to the deck and deeply inhaled the chilly air. I liked the cold. There was something about it that felt fresh, sort of like the air after a rainy day, but without the petrichor. It helped me relax. I looked at the dark sea, the moon was obscured by the clouds. I shook my head and went up to the crow’s nest. I sat down and rested my head back against the wood, staring up at the sky. “Fuck.”

 

Rather than worry about Sanji, I decided to focus my attention on something else. I glanced at the sword and decided that I might as well get as much use out of Kitetsu, while I still could. I didn’t unsheathe the blade. I wasn’t out to feed its desperate need for blood.

 

I still kept my eyes peeled for any threats, but I also focused on the aura that Kitetsu gave off. I resisted the urge to pull back to close myself off so that I could avoid the horrible feelings that blade was exuding. I had to get past that. I couldn’t let it overwhelm me. It was going to take some time. I had to open my mind little by little increasing the exposure slowly, so that the sword didn’t overwhelm me. As I got used to it, it would be easier and easier to do.

 

By the time Sanji came up, I had decided I was done with Kitetsu for the day. I was simply gazing out over the ocean, self-evaluating my progress for the day.

 

Sanji entered the crow’s nest, eyes immediately going to the blade perched beside me.

 

“That thing’s evil,” I said, nodding towards it.

 

Sanji scoffed. “Look, who wields it.”

 

My lips pulled up into a small smile.

 

Maybe I’d get lucky, and this would go well. I wasn’t counting on it, but considering how well everything had gone with Luffy, I allowed myself to be a little optimistic.

 

“Black tea, and traditional tea cakes,” he said, sitting next to me and pulling out a thermos and a small container. He poured the tea into cup/lid of the thermos, and held the box for me to take a tea cake.

 

I dunked the tea cake into the tea and popped it into my mouth. I let out a content hum. Sanji was extraordinary.

 

“Amazing,” I said.

 

“Why thank you, Mira.”

 

Sanji lit a cigarette and took a long drag, staring up at the sky. He didn’t say anything. Neither did I. I was gonna let him break the silence.

 

“I over heard your conversation with Luffy,” he admitted after about five minutes.

 

I nodded. “I assumed you figured out something.”

 

“Well at first, I noticed the chimney, so I waited a few minutes and then came down. Figured I’d warm up and keep, whoever company for a bit.”

 

“What was the first thing you heard?”

 

“Luffy telling you that you’re a good person.”

 

So almost the whole damn thing. I sighed. “So… What’s the verdict? Crazy? Evil? Unnatural? All of the above? None of the above?”

 

“I have some questions.”

 

“Okay. I might have answers.”

 

“You were being 100% serious?”

 

“One-hundred percent.”

 

“Your father is really the sea devil?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“How is that even possible?”

 

“My father isn’t some massive horned fish beast or anything like you’re probably imagining. He looks the same as any human. As much as I hate to give him any type of compliment, he’s a handsome man, and according to Cal, he’s a charmer.”

 

“Cal?”

 

“She’s one of the people that raised me.”

 

“Why did you join the crew?”  The tone of his voice gave away the fact that this was the question really on his mind.

 

“Because my island came under siege years ago, and I thought it was hopeless, but I was lucky. We had a visitor on the island then. He saved us all. Luffy reminds me of him. He’s got something special.”

 

Sanji nodded, seeming to accept that.

 

“Any more questions?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Not gonna tear into me for lying and all that?”

 

“Mira, my dearest, I would never treat a lady with such hostility. It’s unbecoming of a gentleman. I won’t lie and say that I understand what’s going on, but it doesn’t really matter. We all have our secrets, and our reasons for keeping them.”

 

There was something in his voice and his eyes. He was miles away from the crow’s nest.

 

“Plus, Luffy’s already decided your staying, it’s not like anyone can changed his mind.”

 

“Yeah, you’re right about that.”

 

“Not that I would want to, my angel! Your gorgeous face and sparkling personality are some of the highlights of my day!”

 

Heart eyes.

 

I laughed, his declaration, causing a huge weight to lift.

 

“Thank you, Sanji,” I said, carefully hugging to chef as to not spill the tea I was still drinking.

 

He let out a weird high-pitched noise somewhere between a yell and a whine. “You’re welcome, my beautiful princess!”

 

I let Sanji go. “Sanji?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“What’s the best combination of bread and wine to serve with lobster.”

 

Sanji came back down almost immediately. “Well it depends on how the lobster is cooked. If I…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey, so I'm dropping you a little something something the weekend before what is basically my finals week, cause fuck my responsibilities. I'm not real happy with how this turned out, but it is what it is. I'm fucking with the timing here a bit, extending the amount of time between the actual Kestia bite and when they get to Drum Island. I'm just adding a few more days, so that we can get some of these moments in. Also don't worry. Not everyone is just going to be okay with Mira's secret. There will be some conflict.
> 
> Only semi related. I wanted to get the first chapter of my Shanks fic up, so that I could link you guys to it, but it's ending up longer than I had anticipated and it's one of those, that I'm constantly rewriting as I add more and more stuff, so it's not even like I can post the first few chapters and then just update as I go.


	11. Chapter 11

“Mira, you should be with Luffy and Sanji,” Vivi said, still staring in the direction that Luffy and Sanji had headed, a still very ill Nami on Luffy’s back.

 

The day after the fight with Wapol, we had lucked out and found an island. Unfortunately, that’s where our luck seemingly ran out. The people of the island weren’t particularly fond of pirates, putting it mildly. They had met us at the mouth of the river that we sailed into with their weapons drawn, demanding that we leave. The situation quickly became hostile, but Vivi ever so prudent, neutralized the situation. The people of the island allowed us to land.

 

That led to strike of bad luck number two. The island had no doctors. Well that wasn’t true. There was one doctor, who Dalton, the apparent leader around this place, and the rest of the people called a witch. The nickname did little to inspire confidence. If that wasn’t bad enough. The witchy doctor lived in a castle on top of the highest peak in the land.

 

This had no effect on Luffy or Nami. Despite her current condition and common sense saying that it was entirely too dangerous, Nami insisted that she head up the mountain, so that we could get Vivi back to Alabasta as quick as possible, which of course our reckless captain had no issue with. Sanji decided he was going too, not trusting Luffy to get there without harming Nami in some way.

 

“They’ll be fine,” I assured Vivi.  “Sanji won’t let anything happen to Nami, and Luffy won’t let anything happen to either of them. They don’t need me.”

 

“Still… You shouldn’t be worried about me.”

 

I was in the village with Vivi and Usopp, and Dalton. Sani had started going on an on about how he had everything under control and would ensure that Nami got the treatment she needed, and that neither Vivi nor myself should subject ourselves to the harsh environment. Luffy nodded in agreement, saying, “It’ll be fine.”

 

I was inclined to agree with him. With Sanji to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid, they’d be fine.

 

Zoro and Carue were back on the Merry keeping watch.

 

“I’m not,” I said. “No point in wasting energy, when they have it under control.” I looked towards the spot next to Dalton. “Do you mind?”

 

“No, go ahead,” he said.

 

I tightened my cloak around myself and plopped down onto the ground, leaning back against the brick of Dalton’s house. I decided that if we were going to sit here, I might as well make the best of it and try sense working on that sense of mine some more.

 

It would’ve been easier, if I wasn’t dealing with people like Luffy and Zoro. The average person’s aura wasn’t strong enough for me to detect it. Usually, only the supernatural was on my radar. Spirits, curses, demons, beings like my father, myself and my siblings, devil fruit users too. Back home, there were so many that it damn near drove me insane. It was a constant buzzing in my head that just never went away. Cal had told me that if I trained, I would eventually be able to handle it. I had thought that was a crock, and instead of training, I did everything in my power to block it out, which looking back at it was stupid.

 

Cal was right. She was right most of the time, though I’d never tell her that. Here I was doing exactly what she had told me, wishing that I had listened sooner, so that Zoro, Kitetsu and Luffy wouldn’t be such a problem.

 

I sighed. There was no point in thinking about what I should have done. I had to focus on what I should do going forward. The first step was familiarizing myself with Kitetsu and Luffy, so that they no longer overwhelmed me. Kitetsu, while far more unpleasant in nature, was the easiest one to familiarize myself with, no where near as strong as the blinding light that was Luffy. Zoro’s energy was much weaker. It wasn’t strong enough to overwhelm me, but it was easily over powered by Kitetsu and Luffy. If I could withstand Kitetsu and Luffy, then it was likely that everything else, would be much easier to deal with, save for extreme numbers. There was no way to work on that without throwing myself into a crowd of devil fruit users or cursed objects, so that was going to have to wait. Until then though, I could work on my accuracy and the speed with which I could locate people and things.

 

“We did once have some here on this island. Some doctors. However, all of them left some time ago for certain reasons. They were very good at what they did, when they were still here. We were even well known for the advanced medicine that was practiced here on this island,” Dalton said.

 

I was gonna have to split my attention between Kitetsu and listening to Dalton, an additional challenge. I wasn’t always going to be able to completely concentrate, so it was helpful.

 

“So what went wrong?” Vivi asked.

 

I opened my mind up and was surprised, when I almost immediately noticed the devil fruit near me. With some distance between me, Luffy and Kitetsu, I could actually notice devil fruits, seeing as they weren’t being drowned out by that damn blade or my damn captain. I gave Dalton a once over, looking for some obvious change that may have occurred from eating the fruit, but found none. There was no indication as to what the fruit was or what power he had as a result.

 

“A few months ago, we suffered a vicious attack, and our country was destroyed by pirates.”

 

I perked up, my attention switching from Dalton’s devil fruit to his words.

 

Vivi and Usopp gasped.

 

“No wonder you gave us the reception you did,” I said.

 

“Yes. After the attack, the word pirate still terrifies everyone around here. Sorry for the way that we treated you. Their group was small as well, only five people. The captain called himself Blackbeard. Their power was so incredible that they destroyed our entire country faster than you would believe.”

 

“And there were only five of them fighting?” Vivi questioned. “That’s impossible.”

 

“It’s possible. I’ve met single men, who could bring entire nations to their knees.”

 

“What?!” Usopp cried, looking at me alarmed.

 

“Not the norm,” I tried to pacify him. I kept it to myself that I suspected Luffy was one of those people.

 

“What’s more, there are some here, who actually believe it was good for the country,” Dalton added.

 

“What could possibly be good about that happening?” Vivi asked.

 

“That’s crazy!” Usopp exclaimed. “Who would say something horrible like that anyway?”

 

Dalton gave the pair a small smile. “Thank you. I agree, but they have their reasons. The king, who ruled here before the attack was a horrible man. His rule was despised by all of the citizens. Our country used to be known as Drum Kingdom, and our king’s name was Wapol.”

 

“Oh you gotta be kidding me,” I muttered.

 

“Yes, remember him. I know that man,” Vivi said, some type of realization dawning upon her.

 

“Not Wapol.”

 

“What’s that? You mean you know who Wapol is?”

 

“On our way in,” I explained. “He attacked us. He was looking for a log pose or an eternal pose to bring him here.”

 

“Yes, there’s no question about it now. I remember it clearly. I’m sure I met him at a monarch meeting that my father took me to. I was still very young then, but I remember it to this day.”

 

“A monarch meeting? Who are you?”

 

Vivi was flustered, trying to recover after her slip up.

 

“Doesn’t matter,” I cut in. “We met Wapol, and he’s trying to return to this land.”

 

“I don’t understand what’s going on here. He said he was a pirate. He didn’t say anything about being a king,” Usopp said.

 

“He’s just calling himself a pirate as some kind of disguise. In truth Wapol’s only wondering the seas, trying desperately to return to this island,” Dalton explained.

 

“So then Wapol and the people who are on his ship with him were kicked off the island, because they were no match for the pirates? Is that what happened?”

 

Vivi was getting more and more worked up, desperately trying to rationalize the situation.

 

“That’s not it. No. When it happened, when we were attacked, Wapol’s army didn’t even try to fight! In fact, the second he learned how strong the pirates were, Wapol grabbed his cronies and ran like a coward! He was the first to abandon the country and flee out to sea! After that, the country felt utter despair. We were left behind by our king.”

 

“What kind of king would abandon his country?! A king abandon his people? Just the thought of that makes me absolutely sick.”

 

“Vivi,” Usopp said, his tone quiet, encouraging her to calm down.

 

“You’re exactly right,” Dalton agreed. “The one good thing that came out of it was the end to Wapol’s tyrannical rule. The people, who were left on this island, have come together now. We’re trying to create a new country, so what we fear most right now is the return of Wapol and his followers, the return of his rule. We can’t afford for him to come back now. With the country so unstable, it would be the end of us. We want to build ourselves a new peaceful nation on this island.”

 

I nodded. It was a nice thought, but peace wasn’t easily achieved. “I’m sure you will, but you’d be wise to remember that the road to peace is often paved with adversity and conflict.”

 

We lapsed into silence for a moment, everyone absorbing the new information. I rested my head back and closed my eyes, deciding to seek out Kitetsu once more. It took me longer than I would’ve liked, but I did eventually lock on to the demon sword. I hadn’t expected it to move, since Zoro was on the Merry, but I was happy with my ability to find it. I wasn’t struggling against it as much as before either, which was a bonus.

 

“The snow’s really picking up,” Usopp noted.

 

“Tell me something. Who are you guys?” Dalton asked.

 

“Why do you ask that?”

 

“You’re a group of only seven people, traveling the Grand Line on a ship without a doctor. It seems incredibly reckless.”

 

“In case you forgot, we’re pirates. That’s the reason you pointed all those guns at us remember? Now we may be a small group true, but with a brave warrior-“

 

“Incredibly reckless appears to be our captain’s M.O.,” I said, cutting Usopp off. “We were hoping to recruit a doctor here on this island.”

 

“We weren’t expecting the doctor here to be a witch living in a castle,” Usopp said.

 

“Well she’s all we have. You guys certainly seem to be different than the pirates we’re used to.”

 

I smiled. “Good.”

 

“Hello Dalton. I was looking for you,” a large woman said, walking over to our little group.

 

“What can I do for you?” Dalton asked, standing up.

 

“I head the newcomers were looking for Dr. Kureha.”

 

“Yes, but the sick woman’s friends have already taken her up the mountain,” Dalton explained.

 

“Well that’s too bad, because I heard that the doctor’s in Cocoa Weed right now.”

 

It took the four of us a second to process what the woman had said, before the others all reacted at once.

 

“SHE’S WHERE?!” they yelled.

 

“You mean Nami and the others have already passed her?” Usopp asked.

 

I sighed. “Damn it.” I stood up. “We have to get that witch to the castle and fast.”

 

“Your friends, we could call them back-“

 

“No,” Usopp said, shaking his head. “Sanji and Luffy are freakishly strong. There’s no way that we can catch up to them. We just have to find that witch and make sure she goes to the castle.”

 

Vivi nodded in agreement.

 

“Very well. Follow me. We’ll take the sled.”

 

The sled was hooked up to two large rams. Dalton took up the front seat, while Usopp, Vivi and I sat in the back. We hauled ass to the next village, where hopefully the doctor still was.

 

“I’m sorry. This is my mistake. I was aware that the doctor had come to town from the mountain in the last few days, but I assumed she had left and wouldn’t be back for quite some time.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Usopp assured him. “This isn’t your fault. The problem here is how abnormally strong Luffy and Sanji are. Even if we go up the mountain after them, there’s no way that we would catch up to them. If we are able to find the witch in this Cocoa Weed place, we just have to tell her to get back up the mountain as quickly as she can.”

 

“You’re right. That’s true. We have no other choice.”

 

“Forgive us. Forgive this land for having no other doctors.”

 

“Don’t’ say that. This isn’t something that you have to be apologizing for, Dalton.”

 

“She’s right about that.”

 

I shared Vivi and Usopp’s sentiments.

 

“Let’s hurry,” Dalton said.

 

“Dalton, you haven’t told us, who you are yet. It doesn’t seem like you’re an ordinary villager. You have a certain way of speaking that makes me think of a military officer.” I could tell that Usopp had been sitting on this train of thought for a while, probably since we had met Dalton.

 

“Plus, most civilians don’t have devil fruit powers,” I added, deciding that we might as well try to get as much information as possible.

 

“What?” Usopp and Vivi asked shocked, looking at me.

 

“You’re correct. Both of you. I did serve this country, under our former tyrant, Wapol. I became the captain of this country’s security guard long ago, during the time that Wapol’s father ruled here. However, the time came, when the king died and then his rule was handed down to his son Wapol. When that happened, this country changed. Wapol exiled all the doctors, but kept the twenty best as his personal physicians. Anyone, who needed treatment had to beg him for it. If they disobeyed him, or spoke ill of him, they were denied.”

 

I had heard tales of similar behavior time and time again. No longer did it shock me. At the same time, I wasn’t numb to it. I was angry at this man. I was disgusted by his behavior. It just didn’t hit me as hard as Usopp, and nowhere nearly as hard as it hit Vivi.

 

“So from then on anyone who got sick had no choice, but to throw themselves at Wapol’s mercy and hope that the 20 MDs would treat them,” Usopp summarized.

 

“Yes. And pay the excessive medical fees.”

 

“So basically, Wapol was ruling the country by taking the citizens lives and holding them hostage. That’s not ruling. What sort of king would do that? That’s tyranny.”

 

I put a hand on Vivi’s shoulder, and gently squeezed, bringing her back down. I knew that this was hard for her to hear. Vivi cared so much about her people. She had risked her life to protect her people, and then to hear that someone else gave up on his without a fight. It was an insult to all rulers.

 

She slumped, the anger and fight draining from her. I gave her a reassuring smile, and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a side hug.

 

It was silent after that, but that silence didn’t last long. At the speed we were traveling, Cocoa Weed came upon us quick. We headed to a restaurant at the center of the village. According to Dalton, it was the busiest place in town, the only real place that people gathered. If we were going to find out where the witch was, it was our best bet.

 

I was a bit concerned about the place, considering that the door had seemingly been ripped off it’s hinges, an older man repairing it.

 

“Dalton,” the man greeted.

 

Dalton nodded in acknowledgement.

 

The inside was chilly, not surprising given the lack of a door. The people were separated into two main groups, one set around the bar, the other around a couch, where a little boy was laying, legs bandaged up. Some were scattered about at the tables.

 

“Dalton,” the man at the center of the bar greeted, surprised. “What brings you here?”

 

“We hear that Dr. Kureha was in the village. We were hoping that someone knew, where she was. It’s urgent.”

 

“You’re a bit too late I’m afraid. She was just here, but she’s left.”

 

“Wait? What are you telling us? You mean the witch left this town just here a few minutes ago? Oh you gotta be kidding me! This is ridiculous!”

 

“She left after she made my sickness all better,” the little boy said.

 

“If you’re looking for the doctor, she already left.”

 

‘ _We got that already, bud,_ ’ I thought.

 

“We have to find her. Can you tell us, where she was heading, when she left here?”

 

“I think I know,” a man sitting at one of the tables spoke up. “I heard from somebody else that she was heading to Gyasta.”

 

“Gyasta?”

 

“Which is where?” I asked, not liking Dalton’s tone.

 

“If we were going to Gyasta from Big Horn, we would go in the opposite direction we took to get here.”

 

“You mean we already passed her?”

 

“Of course,” I grumbled. This was starting to get annoying. We didn’t have time for this nonsense.

 

“Ice skating is very popular there,” Dalton said.

 

“What does that have to do with anything?!” Usopp yelled.

 

“Relax,” I instructed him.

 

“We need to get going to that town,” Vivi said. “At this point, we don’t really have any time to lose.”

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Usopp conceded, settling down.

 

“Dalton!”

 

All eyes turned towards the door, where a man came stumbling in. He was beat to hell, body bloodied and bruised. He was struggling to remain upright, using the doorframe to support himself. He was clearly exhausted, gasping for breath. “I found you at last.”

 

“Yes, Garth, but I thought you were standing watch today.”

 

Apparently, the man’s injuries weren’t enough for Dalton to realize that something must’ve gone wrong.

 

Garth finally collapsed. Dalton caught him just before he hit the floor. “What’s the matter? I can tell you’ve been badly injured. Tell me what went wrong.”

 

“Every watchman, except for me, they’ve all been killed, Dalton.”

 

“WHAT?!”

 

“This thing- This submarine sail boat, it came out of nowhere and it attacked us.”

 

“Oh no,” I groaned.

 

“They killed every one of the watchmen. We couldn’t stop them.”

 

“Who are they? Please? I don’t understand. Please explain this.”

 

“PLEASE DALTON YOU HAVE TO HELP US! We aren’t strong enough to fight them, you have to do something.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Usopp asked.

 

“It was them?” Dalton asked, putting the pieces together.

 

“It was Wapol, Wapol and his men. They came back.”

 

The crowd erupted into worried whispers.

 

Dalton, rose to his full height and ran off.

 

“Shit!” I swore, starting after him.

 

“Mira!” Vivi cried.

 

“Take the sled!” I yelled at Usopp and Vivi. “Find the witch! Zoro’s by himself on the ship with half sawed off legs. There’s too many for him to take on by himself without the Merry taking any hits. I don’t care how strong he is!”

 

“Dalton!” I yelled after him.

 

“You can’t stop me! I have to do this!” he said, getting on the back of someone’s horse.

 

“I’m not trying to. You’re doing what you have to, to protect your own, just like I have to. I’m going with you. I need to get back to the ship.”

 

Dalton, grabbed my hand and hoisted me up on the back of the horse and snapped the reins.

 

The ride was silent for the most part, until Dalton spoke. “Your name is Mira, correct?”

 

“It is.”

 

“Mira, tell me how did you know I had a devil fruit?”

 

“It’s a long story, but in short I can sense them. I’m rusty though. Only recently have I started training that skill again. If Luffy or Zoro had been around, I might never have noticed it.”

 

He seemed to mull that over for a moment.

 

“Here.” He handed me the reigns. “There’s a fork in the path up ahead. Go left. Protect your ship.”

 

I didn’t question it. A second later his body began to shift, growing and twisting. It took a few seconds before I could recognize what it was he was shifting into, but once I did, it was undeniable. The ox ox fruit, model: bison.

 

He hopped off of the horse and galloped away.

 

“Good luck!” I yelled after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. I suck. I know, but not gonna lie I'm going through some shit. My grandfather's sick. I'm trying to sort out my last semester of college, which unfortunately, might not be my last semester. I'm trying to land an internship. Well more like I'm trying to convince an organization to create an internship position for me, because I'm an idiot, who couldn't just take the easy way out. And a lot of other stuff that I don't really mean to dump on you, but I'm tired and upset, and you guys are currently the most captive audience I have at the moment, so I don't want you to think that I just suck at updating. There's a reason. Though I do tend to suck at updating, when there isn't. Sorry about that. Not the point. This is update 1 of 3, so be on the look out for the other two shortly.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 2 of 3.

“What a shame. Already over? Well that was disappointing wasn’t it?” Zoro said, sticking three swords in the ground. I had to assume they were stolen. They most certainly weren’t his. Wado, Kitetsu and Yubashiri were currently at my hip.

 

Bodies littered the ground around Zoro, and the people of Big Horn were staring at him in awe. Clearly, Zoro had taken all of these men out, but considering their lack of skill, I wasn’t particularly impressed. In fact, I was rather irritated.

 

“Right, Zoro! That was a good job, just like I told you to do! Yeah!”

 

“What about what I told you to do?” I asked, Usopp coming up behind him, still on the horse that Dalton had nabbed from Cocoa Weed.

 

I had made it to the Merry only to find the ship seemingly abandoned. I was confused at first, because I was sure that Kitetsu was there. A short search revealed the sword, its two companions, Zoro’s shoes, coat, shirt, socks and haramaki on deck, but not their owner.

 

I was worried. Where the hell was he? What the hell had happened? Had Wapol’s men gotten him and Carue? I was still thinking these questions over, when a thunderous sound caught my attention. There wasn’t a storm brewing. The sky was cloudy, but they were regular snow clouds. There was no sign of thunder snow. I trained my eyes on the island. An avalanche was coming down the mountain, a massive one considering I could recognize it, despite being as far away as I was. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Sanji and Luffy were the cause of it.

 

They caused it. They could handle it. I wouldn’t have been able to catch up to them anyways. 

 

I wasn’t sure how far away was far enough, but I knew that I was probably far enough away to be safe. After all, I was on the ship. Fortunately for me, and the horse the snow hadn’t reached us. It did make things more difficult, because now there were no tracks for me to look for.

 

I had to find Zoro, and the only idea I had was to seek out his very presence, which was faint in comparison to that damn sword.

 

I would’ve liked to have trained more, to have practiced, but that wasn’t an option. I closed my eyes and did everything in my power to push out that dam demon sword and to lock onto Zoro. Kitetsu was madness. It was anger and blood lust and violence, but Zoro wasn’t. Zoro was determination, pride, and honor.

 

The second I was able to lock onto him, I was moving again back to Big Horn, stopping only to fish a half frozen Carue out of the river.

 

“ _You,_ ” I started, pointedly looking at Zoro. “You are supposed to be watching the Merry with Carue, and yet I found your stuff on the Merry without you and the duck half frozen in the river.”

 

My words snapped Zoro out of his boasting, Usopp out of his lying and Vivi out of her amazement.

 

“Carue!” she cried, rushing over, and hugging the duck. “Oh my goodness! What happened to you?

 

“He’s alive,” I told her. “Cold, but alive.”

 

I looked at Usopp. “You two are supposed to be in Gyasta. Why are you in Big Horn?”

 

“The avalanche,” he answered.

 

“The doctor,” I reminded him. “Nami. That didn’t just go away, and where is Dalton?” I asked, realizing that he was missing from this scenario.

 

“He was shot and buried under the avalanche. We have to find him.” That brought the crowd back into it, their shock becoming worry and concern for their de facto leader.

 

I shook my head. “Hopeless the whole lot of you.” I tossed my bag full or Zoro’s stuff at him. “Get dressed.”

 

I closed my eyes and once again, opened my mind, trying to sense out Dalton’s devil fruit this time instead of Zoro.

 

“Don’t just sit there! Do something!”  someone yelled at me.

 

“I am,” I growled out, trying to focus. I had managed with Zoro. I could do it again. It was just frustrating that it took so long and that it required so much concentration, even though he couldn’t be that far away.

 

“Mira-“ Vivi said. She was treading carefully, trying not to upset me.

 

I put a hand up to stop her. “Got ya.” I stood up and walked over to the patch of snow, where I knew Dalton was and started digging, revealing his face after a moment.

 

“Yo!” I called, beckoning the others over. Immediately, they got to work, helping me dig the big man out.

 

“This is horrible! I don’t feel a heartbeat!” a man yelled.

 

“Damn it!” I swore. No way of telling how long his heart had been stopped, how much damage it had done. ‘ _I should’ve been faster._ ’

 

I moved to start CPR. I didn’t know what good it could really do. Even if I could keep his blood pumping, there was no doctor to try to fix the damage. There was no chance that he would make it up the mountain in this condition.

 

“He’s too large. A tiny girl like you isn’t strong enough to-“

 

I ignored the person speaking, starting the chest compressions with ease.

 

“No! Dalton! Please wake up! Please Dalton! You have to!” Vivi cried, taking his large hand in her much smaller one.

 

Everyone around us, just looked on sadly.

 

“Vivi. Mira,” Usopp said gently.

 

“No,” I said sternly. I could still feel that devil fruit. Until it disappeared, he wasn’t dead.

 

“You can’t die! Dalton please!”

 

“Don’t worry. He’s not dead.”

 

I glanced towards the voice, seeing Wapol’s private doctors standing there.

 

“The 20 MDs?!”

 

“He will be, if we don’t act soon. He has severe frost bite,” another said.

 

“We can begin treatment immediately, if you’ll let us.”

 

“Hey what do you know, there are doctors here. That’s funny. I thought I heard that there weren’t any in this country,” Zoro noted.

 

Usopp filled Zoro in. “There are a few doctors, but these guys are the 20 MDs. They work exclusively for Wapol, so that makes them bad doctors.”

 

“That’s right! We can’t trust any of you! Traitors! You expect us to leave Dalton with you? You surrendered to Wapol without a fight and turned your backs on us.”

 

“Wapol probably sent you here to kill Dalton.”

 

“Please, if you want to save him, just do as I say.”

 

“They’re cowards,” I said, still doing compressions. “That doesn’t make them bad doctors. It just means that they’re more motivated by fear than anything.” I looked up at the 20 MDs. “I don’t know your intentions. Maybe you’ve had a change of heart and are finally doing the right thing. I don’t care. You’re going to save him. If you don’t, I’m going to make the rest of what will be your short existence an absolute hell.”

 

“The 20 of us are still doctors. Even though we were forced against our will to serve only Wapol, we’ve always worked to advance our medical research for the benefit of all the patients in this country. It was all because of a certain quack, who taught us never to give up. We can’t afford to lose any more men like him.”

 

“Then quit standing there, and get to work,” I barked.

 

The doctors immediately got to work, one of them taking over for me. I stepped back and took a deep breath. I looked around at all the people gathered, staring.

 

“See about unburying one of these houses,” I ordered the crowd. “Dalton’s going to need some place warm and a bed to rest in. I’ll watch the doctors.”

 

They all seemed hesitant at first, but Zoro and Usopp took charge, leading the digging effort, getting the people doing something.

 

Vivi stayed at first, but I urged her to go check on Carue.

 

I wasn’t a doctor. I couldn’t say that I fully understood what it was that the 20 MDs were doing. I couldn’t trust what I was seeing, due to my limited knowledge, but neither could the others. Unlike them, I could handle this. I could watch as the doctors treated Dalton. I wasn’t close to the man. I hadn’t been out right wronged by the doctors. I had no reason to trust them sure, but I also didn’t have that need for revenge that the others did. I wasn’t like Vivi, so emotionally involved at this point, you would’ve thought that she’d dealt with Wapol’s tyranny firsthand as opposed through the stories of others.

 

They managed to stabilize him, just as the crowd managed to clear a path to the door of someone’s home. I helped carry Dalton, setting him on the bed in the home. The doctors were then able to perform the more delicate procedures necessary to save Dalton. It took hours, but at long last they were done. Now the only thing we could do was wait for him to wake up.

 

A few of the villagers came inside to wait. They watched as the doctors continued to monitor Dalton. It was a tense atmosphere, but that tension was released, when Dalton opened his eyes.

 

“It’s a miracle!”

 

“He’s awake!”

 

I stood there while the doctors did a few tests and once overs. Dalton wasn’t fully there yet, having just woken up, but according to the doctors everything looked good.

 

With Dalton awake, my watch was over. I popped off of the wall that I had been leaning against and stretched, heading out, while everyone crowded around Dalton. Once outside, I took a deep breath the freezing air helping to clear that last but of tension out of my body. Then I went looking for Vivi, Zoro and Usopp. Carue was in the house in another room, wrapped in blankets sitting near a fire.

 

“You’re worried about Nami, and Luffy, and Sanji and Dalton. And everything that’s going on in Alabasta.”

 

I followed the sound of Usopp’s voice. “Vivi, can’t you see it? You’re carrying too many burdens on your shoulders. Calm down. You don’t need to go up there at all. You know why? Cause those three are fine. That’s Luffy, and Sanji and Nami up there. I have faith in them.”

 

“Thanks a lot. You’re full of wisdom, Usopp,” Vivi complimented the sniper.

 

“No. He’s full of crap,” Zoro argued. “He’s just afraid to go up that mountain.”

 

I found them standing between two houses by a fence, just a few down from where Dalton was being treated. Zoro was poking Usopp, whose legs were shaking with fear, in the forehead repeatedly.

 

“Agh! I heard there were things like yetis and huge man-eating bunnies up there! I don’t want to get eaten!”

 

“Then say so at the start coward.”

 

I rolled my eyes, but laughed. “Zoro, leave Usopp alone. It was a nice sentiment, even if it was just because he’s scared.”

 

“Mira, how’s Dalton?” Vivi asked.

 

“He was just waking up, when I left,” I told them.

 

“That’s a relief,” Vivi said.

 

“He’s a tough one. He’ll be fine.”

 

The door to the house opened, and Dalton came stumbling out.

 

“It’s Dalton!”

 

“Thank goodness!”

 

“What is that idiot doing?” I asked.

 

“Can someone please tell me who this guy is?” Zoro asked.

 

“Dalton, please listen to reason.”

 

“Get out of my way. We can’t let Wapol retake the castle. We can’t.”

 

“So that’s where you’re heading? The castle?” Vivi asked.

 

“In your condition?” Usopp added.

 

“My country is far more important,” Dalton said. “HE CANNOT SUCCEED! I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN! NOT NOW NOT EVER WAPOL MUST PERISH!”

 

“But you’re not strong enough to fight them in your condition sir.”

 

“And the rest of us are no fight for them either.”

 

“I’m going to settle this thing once and for all. I’ll stop Wapol, even if it kills me.”

 

“Got admire his determination and his dedication to his country,” I said. “But I put forth entirely too much effort in to keeping him alive to let him go and kill himself.”

 

Usopp moved first walking over and stepping in Dalton’s path. I watched on, curious as to what he was gonna do. Dalton was a brave warrior, something that we knew Usopp admired. It was interesting to see that his approach was. I doubted he was going to try to talk Dalton out of it. This kind of heroic endeavor was just the kind of thing that Usopp loved.

 

Not surprisingly, Usopp was on Dalton’s side. What as surprising was that Usopp planned to carry Dalton up the mountain.

 

“Oh this is gonna be sad,” I said.

 

“Embarrassing,” Zoro added.

 

It was. The thought was nice, but Usopp just wasn’t strong enough to carry Dalton. He gave it a good try though.

 

“Alright, go help him,” I said to Zoro. “You’re the only one, who can carry him without dragging him on the ground.”

 

I could lift Dalton. It would be easy. I just wasn’t tall enough to carry him without dragging his feet and considering that he had frostbite that probably wasn’t the best idea.

 

Zoro shook his head, walking over and lifting Dalton up on his shoulder.

 

“Are you gonna sit there and whine or are you coming with us?” Zoro asked Usopp. 

 

I hurried over, catching up with them.

 

Usopp was yelling at Zoro about stealing his thunder, hitting and kicking him.

 

“Boys, play nice,” I scolded, trying to hide my amusement.

 

“Hey! Hold up. There’s an easier way up to the castle,” someone called out. “Instead of walking, take the rope way.”

 

“The rope way? That’s impossible. There hasn’t been one connected to Wapol’s castle in a while.”

 

“Someone must’ve just recently reconnected one, because I just saw it. There was a rope going from the castle to a big white tree outside of Gyasta.”

 

‘ _Of course, where we should’ve headed to begin with._ ’

 

We along with a number of the Drum Island residents headed to Gyasta. At the base of the rope was a gondola, which Vivi, Usopp, Zoro, Dalton, myself and roughly a dozen men crowded into. It was entirely too crowd, resulting in it being slow moving, but it was at least moving.

 

Dalton was seething, where he sat.

 

“You need to settle down. You’re just going to worsen your condition, if you keep behaving like this,” I said.

 

My words were ignored. He continued to rant and rave. I understood he was upset, but he was going to die, if he didn’t settle down.

 

I finally understood why I was ignored, when he pulled multiple sticks of dynamite out of his jacket.

 

“When we get up there, everyone take cover. There are going to be explosions, once I get inside.”

 

I was the only one still paying attention to the top of the mountain, the smoke that had started to come from it along with a few loud crashes. ‘ _Captain made it,_ ’ I thought, grinning. “Dalton, when we get up there. You are going to sit down and take it easy,” I told him.

 

“Wapol-“ he started.

 

“Luffy!” I shot back. “Our captain is up there. Our navigator. Our cook. That’s what Wapol ran into, when he came up here to reclaim that castle.”

 

Everyone started looking up at the castle like I was.

 

“She’s right,” Usopp said, sounding smug. “You brought that dynamite to blow up Wapol, but there isn’t going to be any Wapol to blow up.”

 

“I know he doesn’t look like much, but I’m willing to put the fate of my own country in Luffy’s hands. You should have faith that he will protect yours,” Vivi said.

 

“But he doesn’t know-“

 

I smiled back at Vivi and Dalton. “That bastard ate part of our ship, tried to eat Luffy, and if he’s up there, has likely threatened Nami and Sanji.”

 

“Luffy’s gonna kick his ass,” Zoro said.

 

The people of Drum just looked at us, probably thinking that we were mad. I didn’t blame them. If I had been in their position, I’d have my doubts to. I turned, keeping my eyes trained on the mountain top.

 

Sure enough, a few moments later, what looked to be a much thinner Wapol rocketed overhead.

 

“Atta boy, Luffy,” I praised.

 

We made it to the top, Zoro, Usopp and I getting off and going ahead to scout out the area. We didn’t know, who else was with Wapol or even for sure if the guy that had been launched off the island even was Wapol.

 

Usopp, who had declared that he was going to go ahead and brave whatever dangers there would be, was cowering behind Zoro by the time we reach the top of the staircase that led from the gondola bay to the outside world.

 

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?” Zoro asked, swatting at Usopp, trying to get him to release his leg.

 

“Just watching your back.”

 

‘ _Idiots_ ,’ I thought fondly.

 

The view from up here was gorgeous.

 

A familiar scream caused me to spin around and Zoro and Usopp to stop bickering. Luffy had rocketed himself towards us… Because of course he did.

 

“LUFFY!” the other two screamed in panic.

 

They dove out of the way of our captain. I braced myself, digging my feet into the ground as much as I could, but with the snow it was difficult. I caught Luffy around the torso, the impact caused me to slide back roughly twenty feet, before coming to a stop.

 

Luffy started laughing. “Nice catch, Mira!”

 

“Thanks, Captain,” I responded, chuckling.

 

“Why’d you do that, you moron?!” Zoro raged.

 

I set Luffy back on his feet, and stood up properly, dusting the snow off of myself.

 

“I didn’t recognize you,” Luffy explained. “I thought you were more of Big Mouth’s guards ready to fight. I’m surprised you came up here. Well not you Zoro, Mira, but Usopp, aren’t you usually scared of doing stuff like climbing mountains?”

 

“HAHAHAHA! Yeah right,” Usopp scoffed. “Whenever there’s a towering peak in front of me, I climb it, but let me tell you scaling that mountain hand over hand was no picnic.”

 

“Actually, we took a rope way car,” Vivi explained, causing Usopp to topple over. “Nami and Sanji are they alright?”

 

“Yeah! Both of them are just fine.”

 

“Thank goodness.”

 

“I knew you had it all under control.”

 

“So what was that you were doing on top of the castle a few minutes ago?” Zoro asked.

 

“Beating the crap out of the king,” Luffy said.

 

“Dalton,” I greeted, seeing him exit the stairwell. “You’re just in time.”

 

“You mean that person I saw flying through the air was actually Wapol?” Dalton asked, disbelief clear on his face. “You beat him?”

 

“Yep. I sure did.”

 

“And his two henchmen what happened to them?”

 

“Well the reindeer beat him up.”

 

“But those two? A reindeer?” Dalton was still struggling to accept it.

 

“Reindeer?” I asked.  “Another zoan?”

 

“Hey Usopp, I made a new friend. You gotta meet him. Get this. He’s a reindeer.”

 

‘ _Leave it to Luffy._ ’

 

Dalton notice something in the trees. I followed his gaze to wear a little reindeer was standing. I think it was trying to hide, but it was backwards. I had thought that, when Luffy said a reindeer he had found a human that had eaten the ox ox fruit, model reindeer, but based on his appeared this appeared to be a reindeer that had eaten a human human fruit.

 

I wasn’t thinking about that at the time though that came later, because my first thought, which tumbled out of my mouth on its own was, “So freaking cute.”

 

Dalton bowed to the reindeer, thanking it for helping the country. The rest of the people of Drum finally made their way over to us. They all looked at the reindeer.

 

“What? What is that strange creature behind that tree?”

 

“It almost looks like a reindeer.”

 

“No. You’re wrong. It’s a monster.”

 

Humans. Ignorant creatures. Afraid of what they didn’t know of what they didn’t understand.

 

“No! Don’t shoot him!” Dalton ordered.

 

Something finally registered in Usopp’s head, because he screamed, eyes nearly popping out of his head. “It’s a yeti! Somebody shoot it!”

 

The words of the people upset the reindeer, who sped off into the forest, crying.

 

I spun around and knocked Usopp upside the head, at the same time as Luffy.

 

“You jerk face!” Luffy yelled. “He’s not a yeti, you idiot! He’s my new friend!”

 

“You coward! He wasn’t hurting you! Don’t go screaming fire until you know something’s a threat!”

 

You’d figure that after Little Garden Usopp would’ve realized that things weren’t always what they seemed, but no. Fear controlled him more than anything else.

 

“You scared him so bad he ran away,” Luffy continued.

 

“If you could kill Dorry and Broggy would you have just shot them on sight? You wouldn’t have a master then would you?”

 

“You’re right. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s not us that you need to say sorry to,” Luffy said.

 

Usopp slumped in defeat.

 

“I’m gonna go get him, so that you can apologize.” With that Luffy took off after the reindeer.

 

“I never seen Mira get this mad. Way to go Usopp,” Zoro jabbed.

 

“I’m not mad,” I corrected. “I’m annoyed that a crewmate of mine would behave in such a manner. I know what it’s like to be afraid. I also know what it’s like to be the thing that people are afraid of. It hurts, especially, when you know that the only reason people are still afraid of you is because they won’t give you a chance.”

 

I glared at the villagers, who looked appropriately sheepish.

 

“The doctor is here right? We need to get Dalton to her.”

 

“The girl’s right,” a voice called out.

 

The villagers gasped. “Doctor Kureha?!”

 

“Yeah. Good to see you too. Now be useful and get the injured guy to the medical ward.”

 

“I recognize you! You’re that damn old hag from before!” Zoro yelled.

 

You would think that seeing a woman dressed like she’s twenty, despite probably being seven times that, would be a dead giveaway that she was sensitive to the whole age thing, but apparently not to Zoro. Kureha brought her fist down on top of his head, knocking him to the ground. I could see the goose egg forming.

 

“You had that one coming,” I told him.

 

I shook my head. “Someone keep his feet from dragging,” I said, hoisting Dalton up over my shoulder.

 

The villagers were all still.

 

“I’d do what the girl says, or you’re going to be in pain like this man here,” Kureha said.

 

That got them all moving, lifting Dalton’s feet as we headed to the medical ward.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 3 of 3.

“You’re an idiot,” I said, staring at Zoro incredulously. “Ice swimming. It’s below freezing. Below. And what about Carue? You thought you should just leave the duck to guard the ship?”

 

“Everything was fine. I wasn’t going far.”

 

“Not going far? You ended up in Big Horn.”

 

“It was that stupid avalanche’s fault.”

 

“No. The avalanche must’ve pushed you to Big Horn, which means were on your way to Gyasta. You got lost.”

 

“I did not!” Zoro yelled.

 

“It took an avalanche to get you remotely back on course. You were lost.” I shook my head, getting back to my original point. “Your sense of direction isn’t the problem at the moment. It’s below zero out, and not only didn’t put on a coat, you actively took clothes off.”

 

“Will you let it go?”

 

“It was kind of stupid,” Luffy said.

 

“Says the boy, who’s running around in shorts, sandals a coat with only one arm,” I shot.

 

“Hey at least I put on a coat.” It was a strangely sound argument from the rubber boy.

 

“I will give you credit for that, but what about socks, shoes and long pants, huh? Gloves? A scarf?”

 

“What about them?”

 

I groaned in frustration. Next time Nami and I went shopping I was going to find a fabric store and buy everything I needed to make these boys snow suits. Then I was going to go to the hardware store and buy everything I needed to make sure that once I stuffed them in there, they couldn’t take them off. I was gonna need some yarn too, and knitting needles. They were gonna need hats and socks and scarves, and holy hell I was turning into Cal.

 

“All you have is that cloak,” Usopp pointed out.

 

“And at least two of almost every item of clothing I have on my body. Don’t turn this on me. I don’t have proper snow gear onboard. I was snatched up from Logue Town with no real warning, remember?”

 

We were outside. The medical ward was crowded with the people of Drum and Vivi, who was checking up on Nami and Sanji. The sun had dipped below the horizon, but the moon reflected off of the snow, lighting up the whole area. Usopp was making a snowman, Luffy was still trying to get the reindeer to join us, and I was nagging Zoro.

 

“Reindeer! Wherever you are, Reindeer come out!”

 

I would’ve taken a much quieter approach to getting the little guy to come out, seeing how timid he was, but this was Luffy. He did things his own way, which meant screaming for hours in order to find the reindeer. Because it was Luffy, it worked.

 

The reindeer appeared at the edge of the forest.

 

“Reindeer Guy!” Luffy greeted, when at last the small creature showed himself.

 

‘ _He’s so damn cute,_ ’ I mentally cooed.

 

“Hey, you’re gonna come on our ship and be a pirate with us, kay?”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Sure you can, Reindeer. It’s a whole lotta fun.”

 

“That’s not a very good argument.”

 

I shushed Usopp. “And you’re not helping. Mr. Shoot-Him.”

 

“I can’t. I’m not a human. I’m a reindeer. I have antlers and hooves, you see. I even have a blue nose. Okay. Maybe I do want to be a pirate, but I can’t ever be one of you. I’m not human. I’m a monster. I can’t be your friend, and I can’t become a pirate on your ship.”

 

How many times had he been told that? How many times had he been shunned? I saw my brothers and sisters under go the same thing. Hell, many of them treated me that way, when they first met me. My heart broke for the little guy.

 

 “You see? I’m just here to say thank you. I appreciate you asking me to join your ship. That was really nice, so thank you. I’m going to stay here for now, but if you wanted to, you could stop by here again.”

 

I chuckled. Not a chance.

 

“SHUT UP! LET’S GO!”

 

“Most people don’t make friends by telling them to shut up,” Zoro grumbled.

 

“Most people aren’t Luffy,” I reminded him.

 

The little reindeer started crying, before running over to join us.

 

Nami and Vivi had made their way out, dragging Sanji behind them. “That cannot be good for his back,” I said, approaching them, while Luffy celebrated our newest crewmate.

 

“He’s fine,” Nami said. “He’s Sanji.”

 

“He’s human,” I reminder her, kneeling down to check on him.

 

“Sanji. Sanji.” I waved my hand in front of his face, but didn’t get any reaction. He was really out of it. “Wow.” I sighed, placing one arm under his legs the other carefully under his back and picked him up, walking over to, where Zoro was sitting.

 

“Wow, can’t even walk on your own. How pathetic.”

 

Still no reaction.

 

“He’s not even in it to pick a fight with you.” I looked towards the girls. “What did you do to him?”

 

“It wasn’t us. It was that crazy doctor lady.”

 

‘ _That’ll do it_ ,’ I thought.

 

“Doctorine!” the reindeer exclaimed. “I have to say goodbye, and I’ll need my bag.”

 

“Well then what are you waiting for?” Luffy asked. “Go get it.

 

“We’ll be waiting for you right here,” I assured him.

 

The reindeer ran into the castle, while the rest of us waited outside.

 

Usopp continued to work on his snowman. I sat with Zoro, Sanji in my arms. The girls and Luffy stepped back, staring up at the castle. That lasted about all of two seconds, before Luffy got bored and started making a massive snow ball.

 

“Nami, how are you feeling? Are you completely recovered from your illness already?” Usopp asked.

 

I peered at the navigator curiously, wondering that myself. Not that she couldn’t feel better so quickly, but Nami had lied about feeling sick to begin with in order to get Vivi to Alabasta. She didn’t look sick. Her skin had regained much of its healthy color back. She wasn’t sweating. I knew her fever was gone, and she didn’t really show any signs of fatigue.

 

“Sure am. I feel great.” Nami shot Usopp a thumbs up.

 

“Hey. How about we say goodbye to that old doctor lady and that guy, Dalton, from the village?”

 

“Don’t be so insensitive. We need to leave Chopper alone with Doctorine for a while. He lived with her for six years. We should let them say good bye in peace.”

 

I tuned out of that conversation, instead focusing my attention on Usopp and Zoro, who were bickering with each other like idiots. “Still, you two?”

 

“He started it!”

 

“No, I did not!”

 

“I’m ending it,” I said with finality.

 

Zoro muttered something under his breath. I couldn’t catch what it was though.

 

I carefully set Sanji down. Vivi, seeming to realize I was up to something, kneeled by him.

 

“Speak up, Zoro. I can’t hear you,” I said, using my left hand to hold my cloak in place, while sneaking my right one down to the snowbank we were sitting on.

 

“What makes you think I was talking about you?” he asked. “Kind of self-centered don’t you think?”

 

“Look at you go. That makes two ribs from the human popsicle. You’re on a bit of a roll.”

 

“I was _training_.”

 

“Well then here. Let me help you!” I said, giving him a snowy face wash.

 

“Damn it, Mira!”

 

I cackled with glee, only to get shoved backwards off of the bank into the snow.

 

Zoro looked down at me, smug.

 

“Oh it’s on.”

 

I wrapped my legs around his waist and cranked to the side, knocking Zoro off of the snowbank onto the ground.

 

“What the hell are you doing?”

 

I didn’t answer, continuing my momentum, so that Zoro was on his stomach in the snow and I was on his back. I pulled his arm into a chicken wing hold. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but it was enough that he couldn’t use that arm.

 

“Mira! Damn you!”

 

“Say, ‘Mira sorry for running my mouth,’ and I’ll let go.”

 

“No,” Zoro said.

 

I cranked back a bit more. This time it probably hurt, no severely. I didn’t pull enough to cause any damage. “Say it!”

 

“What was that about ending it?” Usopp asked.

 

“You can be next,” I reminded him.

 

Usopp paled. “Oh now. I’m fine. Give it to him, Mira!”

 

“Mira, don’t break Zoro,” Luffy whined.

 

“She’s not gonna break me!” Zoro yelled defiantly.

 

“You wanna bet?” I asked, pulling back more.

 

“And here I thought that you were the only sane one,” Nami sighed.

 

“Oh honey, you thought wrong.”

 

You couldn’t have as many male brothers, cousins, and nephews as I did and not engage in some rough housing from time to time. It was all in good fun. I wasn’t going to actually hurt Zoro, just as Zoro hadn’t been out to hurt me, when he pushed me off the bank. It was fun, and considering the day that we had been through, the worry, the agitation, I needed fun.

 

“SAY IT!”

 

“FINE! I’M SORRY FOR RUNNING MY MOUTH!”

 

I let go of Zoro’s arm and sat up, still straddling his back. “See you’re not nearly as stupid as Sanji says,” I said, patting his back. I stood up, allowing Zoro roll over onto his back.

 

“You’re strong,” he said. “A lot stronger than I thought, considering how tiny you are.”

 

I extended a hand to help him up, which he took. I hoisted him to his feet, purposely pulling to hard, so that he stumbled. “Big things come in small packages.”

 

“I gotta train even harder.”

 

I grinned, hearing those mumbled words just fine.

 

Zoro took his seat on the snowbank once again. I took my spot next to him. Luffy and Usopp had gone to get the rope way ready for us to depart.

 

Nami explained her general plan for getting Vivi back to Alabasta to us, stopping only, when loud noises coming from the castle distracted her.

 

“What’s going on? There’s a lot of noise coming from the castle.”

 

“How inconsiderate, making all that noise, while those two are trying to say goodbye. That’s just down right rude.”

 

“It would be if it wasn’t them making all the noise,” I said, seeing Chopper with a sleigh attached, running away from Kureha, who was spinning a flail above her head.

 

“Hey! We got the rope way ready to go,” Usopp called.

 

“Everybody, hurry and get on the sleigh. We’re going to head down the mountain!” Chopper said.

 

I just picked up Sanji, cause regardless of how we were leaving, we were leaving. The spiked ball of the flail got everyone else moving. We hopped in the sleigh, holding on for dear life as Chopper booked it down the rope of the rope way. We were moving so fast that it was hard to stay in the sleigh. I had to give the little guy credit. He could run.

 

“WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!” Luffy screamed, flying behind the sleigh. Usopp had a hold of Luffy, using the seat to keep himself from falling out.

 

“LUFFY YOU IDIOT KNOCK IT OFF!” Nami yelled.

 

I held onto the railing with one arm and Sanji with the other.

 

“You know, you could hold on better, if you let the shitty cook go.”

 

“Mr. Bushido,” Vivi scolded, even though she was straining to hold on.

 

“Quit worrying about Sanji and hang to Vivi.”

 

“You damn marimo, don’t you even think about laying a hand on our precious princess!” Sanji yelled.

 

“Look who’s finally up. Sleeping beauty back to the land of the living.”

 

It took Sanji a moment the position we were in, but once we did, he completely and totally freaked. “Oh to be held in the arms of an angel! Mira, my sweet!”

 

With a hard thud that jolted all of us we landed back on the ground, still moving forward.

 

“That was fun. Reindeer can we do that again?”

 

“You idiot, we don’t have time for that.”

 

“Phew. I thought I was a goner.”

 

“What’s going on?” Sanji asked, confusion breaking through his love sickness.

 

“Oh Sanji, you’re awake,” Vivi sighed with relief. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Luffy, duck!” I yelled, my eyes, barely registering that the yellow and orange thing we sped past.

 

“What?”

 

“Carue!” I said, more clearly pointing in the appropriate direction.

 

“Carue! We forgot Carue!” Vivi looked back, alarmed.

 

“Grab him!” I yelled.

 

Luffy shot an arm out behind us, grabbing onto the bird, bringing him to the sled, when his arm snapped back.

 

“Oh Carue!” Vivi cried, hugging the duck. “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I got so caught up in everything-”

 

“I’m sure you would’ve realized, when we made it to the Merry,” Sanji said, comforting her. “After all, you wouldn’t get onboard until we found him back in Whisky Peak.”

 

“What were you doing wandering through the woods,” she asked.

 

Carue, squawked, shivering and huddling close to Vivi.

 

The sound of cannons firing, caused us to all look back towards the castle.

 

“Is she really firing cannon balls?” Zoro growled out.

 

“No,” I breathed out, amazed by the sight in front of me. “No. Chopper stop! Look!”

 

The reindeer peered back over his shoulder, coming to a halt.

 

A massive pink cloud surrounded the top of the mountain, we’d just come down, obscuring the castle. It resembled a tree, the cloud making up the crown and the mountain itself the trunk. The color wasn’t limited to the cloud. The snow that fell was the same shade. It looked like the petals of cherry blossoms. At least the ones in pictures. I had never seen a real-life cherry blossom before.

 

Kureha hadn’t been firing at us. She’d been giving Chopper one hell of a sendoff. I didn’t know the significance of this specific gesture, the story behind the pink snow, but considering the way that the little reindeer broke down, there was something there, something more than the pain of goodbye.

 

Our journey back to the ship was much slower now. There was no need to rush. Kureha wasn’t out to kill us. It gave us time to appreciate the beauty of everything.

 

When we finally made it to the ship, Chopper stopped, taking it in.

 

“Shishishishi! Welcome to your new home, Chopper.”

 

“The finest ship on all the seas, the Going Merry! Gifted to us by the kindest most gentle girl in the world, the amazing Kaya!”

 

“It’s okay Vivi! I’ll help you carry your beloved-“

 

“No!” I nixed that right in the bud. “Zoro, carry Carue. Sanji, you’re not carrying anything until Chopper gives you the okay.”

 

“But Mira-“

 

“And you’re not cooking.”

 

“Then how am I supposed to keep my lovely beauties-“

 

“Luffy, can I ban Sanji from the kitchen until he’s better?” I asked. Luffy was already back on the ship, having just hoisted himself up over the railing using his devil fruit. “I’ll cook.”

 

Luffy nodded.

 

“What?!”

 

“Sanji, you have to get better, so then you can make me more meat,” Luffy said seriously.

 

“Unbelievable,” Sanji muttered, heading for the ladder.

 

We all loaded up and set sail for Alabasta. The boys started goofing around on deck, having busted out the brew, while I headed into the kitchen to make everyone something to eat. It was a long day, I was hungry, so I knew the others had to be too, especially Luffy.

 

“Hey Mira,” Nami said from the door way.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Can you make something special for Chopper? I think he’s a little overwhelmed with those idiots out there.”

 

“Already working on it,” I said. “Can you leave the door open, so that I can still hear everyone else?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Thank you.” 

 

She headed back out.

 

“Carue, I’m so sorry you had to wander around like that. After you had finally thawed out too. How’d you even end up in the river in the first place?”

 

Carue squawked out a response.

 

“That bird. Ten berries says he slipped and fell into the river. He’s a clumsy one,” Zoro jibed.

 

“He said he was on his way to the ship, because he didn’t know, where you guys were. He knew Zoro wasn’t in trouble any more he just wanted to find you,” Chopper said.

 

“How’d he get in the river in the first place?” I asked.

 

“He said Zoro jumped into the river and disappeared. He thought Zoro was in trouble, so he jumped into the river to help and ended up getting frozen in it,” Chopper translated.

 

“So this is all your fault!” Nami’s words were marked with the familiar sound of fist hitting skull.

 

“Cause you got lost,” I added, poking my head out to give him a very pointed look.

 

“Are you really able to understand everything that Carue’s saying?” Nami asked.

 

“Yes. I’m technically half animal by nature, so I can understand what they say.”

 

“You can talk to animals?”

 

“Oh wow Chopper! Between your medical skills and talking to animals, you have some amazing talents,” Nami praised him.

 

“Don’t be silly like that, you jerk! Flattering me like that isn’t going to make me happy or anything!”

 

“He sure looks happy.”

 

“What did you mean about Chopper’s medical skills?” Zoro asked.

 

“Well Chopper here is a doctor and a first rate one at that. Dr. Kureha taught him everything there is to know about medicine.”

 

The boys were all shocked. I walked over to the door way and laughed at their reactions.

 

“What? Impossible. Chopper are you seriously a doctor?”

 

“How cool!”

 

“No way!”

 

“Really Luffy if you didn’t know he was a doctor, what did you think he was, when you asked him to join us?” Nami asked.

 

“Magical talking transforming reindeer monster.”

 

“That’ll do it.”

 

“Back up food,” Sanji answered, scaring Chopper.

 

I glanced at the spoon in my hand. I thought about throwing it at Sanji, but ultimately decided that my glare was enough for now.

 

“Wait! Oh no! I was in such a big hurry, I left my medical bag behind that had all my tools in it!”

 

“But isn’t this it?” Nami held up a small blue backpack with a white x on it.

 

“It is my bag. How is that?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

I headed back in, finishing up our meal, heading back out on the deck with the platter full of sandwiches.

 

Sanji’s smelled it, before he even saw it. “Ham, cheese, bread, egg, powdered sugar, preserves. The egg serves as a dip, instead of being fried. It’s not a croque-monsieur, but close. Monte Cristo?” he asked.

 

“You’re good. Comfort food,” I said, my hand catching Luffy’s face, before he could attack the platter. Stretched out his mouth, wrapping my hand around it, so that I could get a good grip on it, so that he couldn’t open it. That way even if he grabbed at the food, he couldn’t immediately go and start jamming it down his gullet.

 

“Chopper, Straw Hat survival tip number one. Always defend your food. If you take your eyes off of it for a second, Luffy will eat it.”

 

Chopper’s eyes widened.

 

“But if he does, I’m always willing to sneak you something else later.”

 

“What?” Zoro and Usopp yelled. I rolled my eyes.

 

“My darling, Mira, such a sweetheart.”

 

“Why does he get more food and we don’t?” Zoro asked.

 

“Yeah!”

 

“He’s adorable. He gets special privileges.”

 

“Ridiculous.”

 

Alright everyone dig in!”

 

Immediately, everything went to hell in a hand basket, but that was typical for us. It was the usual. Everyone was fending Luffy off. Zoro and Sanji started fighting about something stupid, which Luffy encouraged, mouth full of sandwiches. Carue scarfed his down so quickly that he started choking, causing Vivi to become even more frazzled. There was going to be a massive mess for me to clean up, but it was worth it.

 

Chopper sat off to the side with Nami eating his sandwiches. I snuck into the kitchen, grabbing my special dessert for Chopper and plopping down on the other side of him.

 

“Here,” I said, handing him the small dish. “It’s cookie dough dip that I made with homemade graham crackers that Sanji made. Just for you.”

 

“Really?”

 

I nodded. “Yep. All for you.”

 

He dug in. “This is so good! Thank you…”

 

“I never introduced myself. I’m so sorry. “I’m Zale Mira Kai, but just call me Mira.”

 

“She’s the ship stewardess,” Nami explained.

 

“Luffy’s our captain, as you already know, and Zoro’s first mate.”

 

“Not that he acts like one.”

 

I snorted, nodding. “Usopp is our sniper.”

 

“Sanji’s our cook.”

 

“He blows my food out of the water by the way.”

 

“I’m the navigator.”

 

“And Vivi and Carue are from Alabasta, which is where we’re heading.”

 

Chopper looked at everyone. Luffy was still cheering, switching from Zoro to Sanji and back again. Usopp was screaming, trying to be heard.

 

“Hey. You know they’re crazy, but I’ve never had this much fun ever!”

 

“Good,” Nami and I echoed each other, smiling at the young reindeer.

 

“I propose a toast to our new friend Chopper!” Usopp finally managed to yell out over the chaos. The boys stopped fighting long enough to grab their mugs and raise them in the air.

 

“CHOPPER!” we all chorused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now before some of yinz get really worked up, Mira did not just straight up bitch Zoro. They were just playing around. Mira got the jump on him with the chicken wing, which is he was actually trying to fight back he would've been able to get out of. It wasn't like Mira pinned him down, and he didn't have a chance. Mira did however surprise Zoro with her strength. You gotta remember that every time Mira displays some sort of strength feat, Zoro hasn't been there to see it. Now that that's over. I feel like I gotta say this, because the One Piece fandom gets entirely too worked up about relative power levels.
> 
> Happy new year! Here's to 2018 being much better, cause 2017 sucked.


	14. Fourteen

“What in the world was that?” I asked, pausing my polishing of the furniture, when I felt the ship suddenly rock.

 

“Luffy, what else,” Nami said, standing in the door way of our shared room. “Looks good.” She nodded towards the bar. “Smells good too.”

 

“Not a bad polish,” I said, looking at the container, “But I’m sure that I could probably make my own from the peels of your tangerines, if you start saving them for me.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah totally. People have been using lemon and orange oils to polish furniture for years. I don’t see why tangerine wouldn’t work.”

 

“Huh. I’ll have to start keeping them for you then. I’m gathering everyone up for a quick crew meeting, you good to head on up or do you need a minute?”

 

“Nah. I’m good. I’ll finish up later.”

 

I set my stuff down and followed Nami out. “The boys were all hanging out on the aft deck. Nami went back to get them. Vivi was already standing on the main deck. I plopped down on the ground, sitting crisscross and resting my head in my hand.

 

“Hey, listen up you guys. We’ll be landing at Alabasta soon, and this is no time to be joking around. Like a pack of hyenas. Come on.”

 

“Yes ma’am,” The boys all grumbled, save for Chopper, who hadn’t suffered through enough bossy Nami to be properly put off.

 

“So what is Alabasta then?” he asked as they descended the stairs.

 

“It’s the country, where Vivi’s father rules,” Nami explained.

 

“Yeah, except there’s this guy named Crocodile, who’s trying to take over the country right now,” Usopp elaborated.

 

“And Crocodile’s one of the seven war lords of the sea,” Sanji added.

 

“Who are those guys?”

 

“Government sanctioned pirates,” I answered.

 

“The government actually supports pirates?”

 

“In exchange for doing the governments bidding, and bringing in other pirates, they get to do whatever else they want without fear of the marines.”

 

“Pretty weird, huh?”

 

“I’m really looking forward to meeting this Crocodile guy.”

 

Luffy was the only one. I had never run into any of the war lords. I considered myself lucky that way. The last thing I needed or wanted was anyone associated with the government having knowledge of me or my family. It was bad enough that three of the four emperors did. While they were significantly more powerful than any of the war lords, they were focused solely on their own agendas, none of which included me anymore.

 

“Crocodile is considered a hero back home. He helps get rid of the pirates, who attack Alabasta. However, his good deeds only appear good on the surface. He is an evil man. In truth, he’s manipulating the citizens of Alabasta to bring about a civil war, so that he can take over the country. No one has realized what Crocodile’s doing yet, not the people, not even my father,” Vivi explained.

 

I had to give to Crocodile. It was a smart plan. Crocodile would be lauded as a hero, if he successful took over. The man, who brought an end to Alabasta’s civil war. Someone that the people would want to , appearing as a hero, while secretly

 

“Right. This should be fun. All we have to do is beat up that Crocosilde guy.”

 

“Yes, but order to do that, we have to avert the civil war in Alabasta and get Baroque Works out of the picture.”

 

“Baroque Works?” Chopper asked.

 

“Oh yeah. You don’t know anything about them either. To be honest, I don’t completely understand what’s going on with them myself. They have a really complicated system of agents, bosses and partners.”

 

“The system is actually pretty simple...”

 

I followed Vivi’s explanation of the organization, which led to the realization that all of the high-ranking officials were one their way to Alabasta too, as well as many of the 2,000 foot soldiers. Not that averting a civil war was ever going to be easy, but it was getting increasingly more complicated. Luffy’s only concern was Crocodile, which was to be expected. If only, it was only that simple.

 

“Well first thing’s first. We have to get to Alabasta, but that doesn’t mean you get to mess around until then. Use the next couple of days to get ready.”

 

We all nodded and voiced our agreement.

 

“Hey, Mimi?”

 

“Yeah, Luffy?”

 

“Since Nami’s all better, does this mean you’ll tell everyone that you’re a vampire?”

 

Had I been sitting in a chair, I probably would’ve fallen out of it. I wouldn’t really expect anything less from Luffy, but still.

 

Sanji reacted quickly, making up for my lack of reaction. “Luffy, how dare you insinuate that our lovely Mira is a vampire?! I should kick your teeth down your throat for just suggesting such a thing!”

 

“A vampire?!” Chopper and Usopp yelled, terrified at the prospect.

 

“Guys there’s no such thing as vampires. I told you to stop screwing around, Luffy,” Nami scolded.

 

Unlike the others, Zoro and Vivi had caught on yo my distress. The pair both looked at me. Vivi was concerned, her soft gaze filled with worry. Zoro narrowed his eyes, his gaze wary.

 

“Mimi,” Luffy whined, two goose eggs on his head, one from Nami and one from Sanji. “You said after Nami got better.”

 

I should’ve said after Alabasta. That would’ve been smarter.

 

Luffy was looking at me with a slight pout and those big eyes. It wasn’t a puppy dog pout, but it was close enough for me to cave. ‘ _Damn it._ ’ I didn’t think I would ever be immune to a puppy dog pout. I had tried and tried to build up a tolerance to it, but still big eyes and pouty lips usually got me to cave or yell for Cal, so that she could deal with it, but she wasn’t here right now.

 

“I did,” I said, dragging my hand down my face. “And I thought we agreed that I wasn’t a vampire?”

 

I had tried figuring out how it was that I was going to go about this. Sure, Luffy believed me right off the bat, but it was Luffy. He was more concerned about Chopper being a magical transforming reindeer than a doctor, a chance to have the devil’s daughter on board, even better. Sanji said he believed me. It sure felt like he did, but maybe that was just part of his nature. After all, Sanji was looking for something that many didn’t think exist, the All Blue. Not that it was a direct correlation, but it seemed that Sanji was more open to the impossible.

 

“Wait what?” Nami asked, turning to look at me.

 

Everyone was looking at me.

 

Sanji, sighed lighting another cigarette and taking a drag.

 

“Mira, what’s Luffy talking about?” Vivi asked.

 

“Well, I’m not a vampire, if that helps,” I started. “But I’m not human either.” I gave them a second to take that in.

 

“You look human,” Chopper said. He sniffed. “You smell human, mostly.”

 

“Mostly?” Usopp asked.

 

“She kind of smells like the ocean.”

 

“I’m still here,” I reminded them, causing the pair to look at me again.

 

“Is this some kind of joke?” Zoro asked.

 

“That must be it! You really had us going, Mira!” Usopp slapped his thigh.

 

“She’s not joking,” Sanji said.

 

Usopp’s face twisted into a look of confusion.

 

“You’re in on it, Shit Cook?”

 

“There’s nothing to be in on,” I interjected, before Sanji and Zoro could start fighting. “Look. Here’s the deal. Many of the legends that people talk about are based in some type of reality. They might have been distorted over time, but there’s usually a shred of truth at their core. I say this, because you’re not going to believe, what I’m about to say. Not at first. Maybe not ever. I can’t change that. I’m not really looking to, but I made a promise to Luffy, so here we go. I’m the daughter of the sea devil.”

 

I got blank stares. I just kept going. They were going to catch up or sit there in disbelief. If it was the latter, then I could just leave them there stunned and deal with it later.

 

“And I do mean _the_ sea devil. I’m not just using that phrase to call him an asshole.” ‘ _Although he is an absolute fucking asshole._ ’ “It’s through my blood, through _him_ , that I can move water like I do. It’s an ability I was born with. I never ate a devil fruit. The reason why I don’t go into the water is because I can’t use my powers on or when I’m in salt water. And while I’m not immortal like he is, I’m very old and very hard to kill.”

 

“Isn’t it cool?” Luffy giggled.

 

“That’s impossible,” Vivi said.

 

I shrugged. I knew what I was saying was true, but I still felt stupid. It was like telling your older sibling that you were afraid of the monster in your closet, only to have them tell you that, “Monsters aren’t real,” and, “You’re a wuss.”  This was a terrible idea. Who the hell just ran around telling people that their the devil’s child?

 

The air got heavy. Even if they thought I was full of shit, it was clear that I didn’t think so. They were trying to figure out how to deal with the situation. What do you do, when you think your crewmate is starting to lose it?

 

“Let’s say you really are the sea devil’s daughter. How’d you end up in Logue Town?” Usopp asked. “Wouldn’t you be in like his evil lair or whatever?”

 

“I washed up there,” I answered honestly.

 

“Washed up?”

 

I groaned, my pride taking a hit. “I picked a fight with him, and got my ass kicked, again. He launched me out to sea, and used the currents to beach me at Logue Town.”

 

“Picked a fight?”

 

“Our relationship is complicated.”

 

“How complicated?” Vivi asked. She didn’t seem to believe me, but she also didn’t seem to think that I was totally out of my mind.

 

“I’ve been trying to kill him for decades now with little to no success.”

 

“You can’t be serious,” Nami said, seeming to be firmly on the “she’s lost it” side of things. She was annoyed, which wasn’t really surprising. She was concerned about getting Vivi to Alabasta first for foremost. Distracting everybody from their goal for such a stupid sounding confession was bound to piss her off. “The Sea Devil? Really? That’s farfetched, even for Usopp.”

 

“Yeah, Mira. Can you prove it?” Usopp asked.

 

“I can prove that I’m not human.” I closed my eyes. When I opened them, my irises, which were a medium shade of grey lighten to a shade of silver that was almost glowing, and my pupils were now rectangular.

 

Usopp screamed, grabbing onto Chopper, who was shaking.

 

Nami’s eyes were wide as were Vivi’s. “Back in Little Garden?”

 

I nodded. I closed them, returning to them to their previous state. “I don’t look human, naturally. The same power that allows me to manipulate water, allows me to change my appearance, so that I can blend in with humans. In Little Garden, I shifted my eyes back, so that that girl’s traps didn’t work on me, since I see things differently.”

 

“If you are telling the truth, that means you’ve been lying to us from the beginning,” Zoro pointed out. His voice was hard. “In which case, why should we trust you now? How do we know that you’re not a threat?”

 

I looked over at him. His arms were crossed over his chest. He believed me. He wouldn’t be upset like he was otherwise.

 

“I have been,” I confirmed. “And you shouldn’t, because you don’t. You don’t know basically anything about me. You know some of my skills, cooking, cleaning, sewing, fighting. You know I’m strong and that I heal quick. You have no idea, where I came from, or what I can do? I never told you, who my father is or that my very presence puts you in danger. That storm that hit us right before Whisky Peak, that was my father’s doing. He doesn’t seem to be fond of the idea of me joining a pirate crew, and there are others out there, who want me dead. Keeping me around is foolish.”

 

“So you’d leave willingly?”

 

“No one’s leaving,” Luffy said, matching Zoro’s seriousness.

 

Zoro’s gaze shifted from me to Luffy. “You’ve already made a decision?”

 

Luffy nodded.

 

I think it was finally settling in on the others that what I was saying was true. Luffy believing me was one thing, but Zoro was another. They also had to come to grasp with the realization that they knew very little about me. I had listened to them tell stories about their homes. I had eve asked questions, but had offered up little in return.

 

“Mira’s a part of this crew. It doesn’t matter, who her dad is. She’s our stewardess. I’m not changing my mind.”

 

Zoro said nothing, standing up and walking off.

 

I sighed, leaning my head back against the Merry and closing my eyes.

 

Sanji patted my shoulder and stood up.

 

“Don’t even think about it,” I said, opening one eye to look at him. “He’s allowed to be mad, and you’re not going to give him shit for it.” Sanji looked ready to protest.

 

“Sanji, I’m kind of hungry. Do we have any pudding?” Nami asked.

 

“I’ll go make some right now, Nami-swan!” Sanji said, rushing towards the kitchen, Nami following behind.

 

The mention of food, returned Luffy to his usual cheerful energetic self. “Sanji can you make pudding with meat?”  He chased after the love struck cook.

 

Wait! I’ll come with you!” Usopp cried, afraid of being left with me.

 

That left Vivi and Chopper. Chopper seemed frozen, where he was.

 

“Mira.”

 

I looked at Vivi.

 

“Thanks for telling us,” she said, giving me a small smile. “I know that was hard for you. I don’t know what I believe, but I know that you’re good people, and that’s the important part. I’m sure the others will realize that, even Mr. Bushido.”

 

I gave her a smile in return.

 

She stood up and headed inside.

 

The only one left was Chopper. I felt so bad. _Hey welcome to your new home. I’m the daughter of evil incarnate._ “You don’t have to stay,” I told him. “It’s okay that you keep your distance. I won’t take it personally. I know you’re scared.”

 

“No. It’s okay,” he said, sounding the exact opposite. He slowly walked over, taking the spot next to me. I kept my eyes on him, but didn’t interrupt him. “Can I ask you some questions?”

 

“Sure. I can’t promise I’ll have an answer, but I’ll try.”

 

“I just- I was gonna ask you guys about your medical histories anyways, so that I have a good background for when I need to treat you, but considering you’re not human, I want to get yours first. I need to know what’s different about you, so that if something goes wrong I can treat you properly.”

 

I smiled down at him. He was terrified, but still was making sure that he could perform his job to the best of his abilities. “You’re very serious about your work. It’s an admirable.”

 

“Complimenting me won’t make me happy,” he said.

 

“Uh huh. Sure. Well… First off, you don’t have to worry much about me. I have advanced healing capabilities and regeneration abilities.”

 

“Really?!” he asked, sounding amazed.

 

“Yep.”

 

“That’s amazing. How does it work? Do you know what this could mean for the medical community? How did it originate? Wait! I need a note book and a pen. I need to document this as part of your history.”

 

I chuckled at the reindeer. He was so cute, and so excitable.

 

I stood up. “Come on. Let’s head down to the girl’s room. I’ll fill you in. I can’t tell you much about my parents. My mother died, when I was a toddler, and I don’t know much about my father aside from him being a bastard. Cal would be better at this than me.  It’s going to be a lot, if you want to know about injuries though.”

 

“You’ve had a lot of injuries?” he asked concerned.

 

“I’ve got advanced healing and regeneration, a tendency to do really dumb stuff and a lot of time. Yeah. I’ve had a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like how this turned out. Initially, I wanted to give the sea devil's back story in this too but that was a bit much, especially, because some of them are still struggling with whether or not they even believe what it is that Mira's saying.
> 
> So just a brief rundown:
> 
> -Luffy believes her and is excited to have a "not" vampire on the ship.
> 
> -Zoro's believes her and is pissed, but Luffy's already made a decision, so there isn't anything that he can do about it.
> 
> -Sanji believes her and is fine with everything.
> 
> -Usopp's on the fence, and he's scared.
> 
> -Chopper's believes her and is scared, but has a job to do.
> 
> -Vivi's confused, but believes that Mira is a good person.
> 
> -Nami is on the fence, but is more concerned with getting Vivi to Alabasta than anything else, so she'll deal with it later.
> 
> Also I mentioned that Mira disguises herself as a human and can't use her powers on salt water or when she's in it, and I'll explain that more later, but once again, there are things that I think people are going to be curious about immediately.
> 
> 1.) Oda said that devil fruit users are weak to all water, not just sea water.
> 
> -She didn't eat a devil fruit. Additionally, this is my fanfic. I'll destroy cannon if I please. If you don't like it, don't read it.
> 
> 2.) Does she get weak in water?
> 
> -Powerless? Yes. Physically weak? No.
> 
> 3.) Can Mira disguise herself as anything?
> 
> -Nope. Basically, there's her natural form and then her human one. That's it. She can change the human one's appearance, but not just willy-nilly. It takes time, so she doesn't do it often.
> 
> Thanks for reading. See yinz next time.


	15. Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> H

“Sit,” I said, shooing Sanji’s hands away as he tried to help me with the dishes. “I got this.”

 

Dinner had been a bit different. There was tension in the room, just enough to make it uncomfortable, but not so much that it impacted the way we behaved. The only major difference was Usopp, who sat as far away from me as possible, trying to hide behind Zoro. Zoro wasn’t talking much, but he wasn’t very talkative at dinner to begin with. He bickered with Sanji and swatted Luffy’s ever grabby hands away.

 

Afterwards, Sanji cleared the table, and I got to work on the dishes. However, no one left. Nami had brought out her map and begun working, while Vivi watched on curiously. Ever yonce in a while, Nami would stop to explain something to Vivi or to yell at Chopper, Usopp and Luffy, who were playing cards at the opposite end of the table. Even Zoro lingered, putting his feet on and the table and leaning bak in his chair. He looked like he was going to fall asleep at any second. Only his snide comments towards Sanji assured me that he was still awake.

 

“Mira, can I ask you a few more questions,” Sanji asked, starting to dry the plates that already set on the rack next to the sink and putting them in the cupboard.

 

I shrugged. What the hell did I care? The craziest part was out already. “Yeah, go ahead.”

 

I wasn’t going to tell them everything. Somethings were just too complicated or still very sore subjects for me. I wasn’t concerned though, because I didn’t have to. Luffy had already made that clear. If I wasn’t comfortable telling them something that’s all I had to say.

 

“Where are you from?” he started simply. “I know you’ve said the New World, but what exactly is it?”

 

“Oh. Well the New World is what they call the second half of the Grand Line. It’s a lot more dangerous than the first half. Only the strongest crews make it to the New World. Even fewer last. The Pirate King is the only person to every fully explore it. A lot of the islands and stuff haven’t been mapped. It’s like the first half used to be a long time ago.”

 

I didn’t notice that the others had decided to listen as well.”

 

“My home island isn’t very far beyond the Red Line, but it’s nearly impossible to navigate to. The people, who get there are either very smart or very lucky. It’s called Ogygia, and it’s not far beyond the Red Line.”

 

“Hey Mimi?” Luffy chimed.

 

“Yes?”

 

“If you’re not a vampire? What are you?” he asked.

 

“Well that changes, depending on whether or not I’m in the middle of an existential crisis or not,” I half joked. _What am I? Why are we here? Should we be here?_ were all questions that I had wrangled with for centuries. Everyone wonders about those things at some point. What is the meaning of life? Is there even meaning? But unlike everyone else, I had hundreds of years to debate it and to mull it over. I would come to an answer only to have something shift and go through the process all over again.

 

Currently, I was of the mindset that it didn’t matter. Whether or not that would last had yet to be seen, but for now it was irrelevant. Didn’t matter whether or not we should exist, because we did. Didn’t matter what we were put on the Earth for, because we had freewill and were going to do what we wanted regardless.

 

That of course was nowhere near the answer that Luffy was looking for.

 

“My father is an immortal with the power to control the seas, earthquakes, storms, soil and horses. In ancient times, he and the others were revered as spirits and gods by mortals.”

 

There was silence, painfully awkward silence. “Yep. Back to square one.”

 

“G- G- Gods?!” Usopp screamed.

 

I sighed. “Immortals,” I said, thinking that maybe that would be the easier pill to swallow. It didn’t matter, because they were going to be stuck on the god part.

 

“You’re a god?”

 

“No!” I protested quickly. “Fuck. Listen, I don’t think I’m a god. Even if I did hold the belief that my father was a god that would make me a demigod at most. What I’m saying is that mortals didn’t understand what they were, so they applied the title of god to them. They worshiped them, because of their power. Some people worship kings as gods, but that doesn’t make them gods.”

 

“Do gods poop?” Luffy asked.

 

“THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT!” Nami yelled, bringing her fist down onto Luffy’s head.

 

“Your father is revered like that correct, though as a demon instead of a god?” Vivi asked.

 

“Yes. My father was revered as a god too. Many of his actions were attributed to a “Sea Devil.” The people didn’t know it was him. The other immortals did. They ultimately ousted him, at which point “The Sea Devil” became his title.”

 

“Title? So not his name?” Nami asked.

 

“Names are important to immortals. If you know the real name of an immortal, it gives you a connection. You can pray to them, which they can hear, if they choose. If it’s a spirit, you can summon them. Names are weird, and it’s a whole lot to explain, when it’s probably never going to come up. Hell half of you don’t even believe me.”

 

I turned back to the dishes.

 

“Mira, what’s your father’s name?” Nami asked. “You said he’s out to get you-”

 

“I’m out to get him,” I corrected, still scrubbing.

 

“Yeah. That’s going so well.”

 

I turned and narrowed my eyes at Zoro.

 

“Listen Mo-”

 

I put a hand on Sanji’s chest, holding him back, before he could tear into Zoro.

 

“We should know what we’re up against if he comes around,” Vivi said gently.

 

Oh Vivi. The girl was a saint. She was shocked sure, probably scared, but she was trying her hardest to keep calm and to keep from upsetting me.

 

“If he comes around. You won’t be up against anything, because I will not let him so much as look in any of your directions.” ‘ _I’m not letting anyone else die, because of me._ ’ “But if it helps you feel…” I searched for a word, but none fit. It wasn’t going to put them at ease or anything. It was going to wind them up. “Whatever it is that you think you’re going to feel.

 

“His name is Poseidon.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onto some chapter commentary. Yeah... Here's the thing. We're going Greek with a lot of the mythos, but it's not going to be strict. No one is going to be perfectly matched up to the real mythology. The exploits of the Olympians and everything, those stories started a long time ago. So whether it's myth or real (for story) purposes, the tale has been distorted over time. Remember Mira said a lot of the things that they've heard are based in reality. Doesn't mean that that is exactly what happened. So some characters might have the same basic origin, but edited to apply to this world (*cough* Cal *cough*). This doesn't mean that every god we hear about in the One Piece world is real. They may be. We don't know. For this, Mira and the Strawhats aren't even positive that all of the Greek Gods that they've heard about are real.
> 
> Also while all the Greek stuff is important, and it will be a major theme throughout this story. It's not going to be the main focus of everything. The goal is still to get to Raftel and find the one piece. Now some figures may try to stand in the way of that, but getting to Raftel and Luffy becoming the king of the pirates and everyone achieving their dreams is still at the core. No one is gonna say fuck the one piece I want to be kick Poseidon's ass and be a god.
> 
> So yeah... It'll make more sense as we move through.


	16. Chapter 16

“Nami, there’s something wrong! Come quickly!” Vivi yelled, bursting into the kitchen.

 

I looked towards the door, where she was standing. She had a worried look on her face, and her tone had been alarmed, but she didn’t seem to be totally panicked or terrified. Plus, she asked for Nami, not me or Sanji, so I assumed that no one (Luffy) had fallen into the sea and that we weren’t under attack.

 

If anything, it probably looked like a storm, but Nami hasn’t said anything about one, so I doubted that as well.

 

I quickly tied off and cut the thread, I was working with, double checking the button, before handing Sanji his jacket back, and following Vivi, Nami and Chopper out onto the deck.

 

It was apparent the second I walked outside, what had Vivi so worried. There was a dense fog up ahead of us.

 

“Oh yeah. I see it. There’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a little steam,” Nami explained.

 

“You mean that steam’s coming out of the ocean?” Vivi asked.

 

“Uh huh,” Nami answered. “It’s a hot spot that’s all.”

 

“What’s a hotspot?” Luffy asked.

 

“Underwater volcano basically,” I answered. “The lava heats up the water and produces stream.”

 

“There are volcanoes underneath the sea?” Chopper said, awed by the information.

 

“That’s right. Actually, there are more volcanoes under the sea than there are on dry land,” Nami continued.

 

Usopp was fascinated by this information, but Luffy was just upset. He had hoped the fog was something edible. There was only one place that I could think of, where that was even remotely a possibility, and I had zero intentions of ever going there.

 

Then again, he wouldn’t be so heartbroken if not for the fact that he with help from Usopp and Chopper had eaten all of our food.

 

“There will be a brand-new island over there, thanks to the Volcano, but the process will take tens of thousands of years.”

 

‘ _Unless, someone has a temper tantrum,_ ’ I thought, biting down on the inside of my mouth. That was one of those things, sure to freak everyone out.

 

“Oh wow, you two are amazing,” Sanji said.

 

I shook my head. This wasn’t that severe, and I wasn’t annoyed enough to come up with come culinary question for him to answer. Once he got through his lovesickness, Sanji went and asked how the boys’ fishing was going.

 

I doubted that they were going to get anything. The water was more acidic and oxygen levels dropped dramatically. For now, it wasn’t the best place for fish.

 

Sanji went inside to check if there was anything for us to eat, while the rest of us watched as the steam got closer and closer.

 

“Hey, Mira, how come you didn’t notice it?” Chopper asked. “Can’t you sense water?”

 

“This isn’t fog. It’s steam. Fog is made of tiny water droplets, so light that they can hang in the air. Steam is a gas. I can only move water in its liquid form.”

 

“That’s kind of lame,” Usopp said.

 

I raised a brow at him. He hadn’t properly spoken to me, since the night before, when I told them that Poseidon was my father, and the first time it was, it was to call me lame. Still, his voice was quivering as were his legs.

 

Chopper had quickly gotten over his fear, far more interested in my medical history and everything else. I couldn’t really tell what Nami thought, but I don’t think it really mattered. Not that she didn’t care and wasn’t concerned, but her priority was getting Vivi to Alabasta. Zoro wasn’t out right hostile, but he wasn’t particularly nice either. Of course, he had never been that way. He used fewer words and more grunts to communicate and was less receptive to my ribbing. All in all, things were going better than I had anticipated. Luffy, Sanji, Vivi, Chopper and Nami were at least acting as if everything was normal.

 

“Kind of,” I agreed, trying not to let my surprise come through. “But I’m almost always surrounded by water not so much ice or steam.”

 

Despite my efforts, Usopp seemed to realize what he had done and was back to being scared silent.

 

We sailed into the steam. Our vision didn’t extend more than ten feet in front of us, and we were assaulted by the smell of sulfur.

 

“Just bear with it. We should be out of the steam soon.”

 

While we were in the steam, the boys got a bite. Only, when we exited did we see that the creature hanging onto Carue wasn’t a fish, but a person.

 

“No! Really. This is getting out of hand. One of these days I need to stop jumping on every random duck I see.”

 

“I’m _old_ , and yet I have _never_ once encountered someone with that problem,” I said, eyeing the individual.

 

They slipped from Carue, falling into the water, where they promptly began drowning.

 

I shook my head. “Luffy, do we save them?” I asked.

 

Luffy shrugged. “Why not?”

 

I chuckled, so simple. I tossed out a line with a life preserver on it and reeled them in.

 

“Well boys. It looks like I got the biggest catch of the day.”

 

“That doesn’t count!” Luffy cried. “You can’t eat him.”

 

“You can. It’s just frowned upon,” I joked.

 

Wrong joke to make in front of Usopp, who paled.

 

“It was a joke,” I said, sighing in exasperation. I headed back up towards the kitchen, leaning against the railing to watch it all unfold. The boys gathered around the newcomer watching as they hacked, clearing the water from their lungs.

 

“I thought I was going to die there for a minute. Hey! You saved me! Thanks! I never imagined my life would be saved by a group of complete strangers. Thanks again. I’ll never forget your kindness. Although could I trouble you for a cup of warm soup? Chicken noodle will do.”

 

I snorted. Barely out of the water and already begging for food.

 

“NO WAY!” they all cried.

 

“WE CAN’T EVEN FEED OURSELVES!” Zoro shot.

 

Because that’s something that you should totally broadcast to a stranger. Hey. We’re out on the Grand Line, and we’re starving. Sounds like an easy target to me.

 

Our newcomer looked around at all of us, examining each of us, before settling on Vivi.

 

“Oh hey. You’re just an absolute cutie, aren’t you? Oh yeah! Sexy.”

 

I scrunched up my face. “You’re a creepy one, aren’t you?”

 

It wasn’t their appearance that had me thrown, though that was something to note. They looked like someone coated club in makeup, before hitting them in the face with it. There was just something off about them. It wasn’t the mannerisms either. Gender didn’t particularly matter to me. Masculine, feminine, male, female, both, neither and any combination or lack thereof was irrelevant.

 

“So, you really can’t swim, huh?” Luffy asked.

 

“That’s right. You see I ate a devil fruit, so I can’t swim even a little bit.”

 

“Oh yeah? What kind of fruit?”

 

“Let’s see. Well let’s see. It’s gonna be a while, until my ship come sand picks me up, so I guess there’s no harm in a little fun.”

 

I hummed. “Better not be any harm,” I warned, the threat dancing in my words.

 

“For saving my life, I’ll show you. Now get ready. This is my power!” they said, thrusting their hand forward and hitting Luffy in the face.

 

‘ _Doesn’t take a devil fruit to do that_ ,’ I thought.

 

Everyone tensed. Zoro quickly drew his swords and went to strike, but stopped short, when Luffy’s voice hit his ears. “Wait wait wait! Hold on a second! This was all for a little fun remember?”

 

I sighed. This was gonna be annoying. They now looked and sounded like Luffy.

 

“Hey now mean guy.”

 

“Wait,” Luffy sprung back up, unscathed. “That’s me!”

 

“Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Now if I touch my face with my left hand, back to normal. Now that is the power of the clone clone devil fruit, you see?”

 

“Amaing,” Nami breathed out.

 

“The face and the voice match perfectly.”

 

Luffy, Chopper and Usopp cheered at the strange display of power. Zoro quickly became bored, and Nami was pissed off, after he displayed his body changing abilities by turning into her and flashing the trio of children.

 

I didn’t like the idea of a copy of me out there. I also wasn’t fond of changing my appearance. Changing my appearance was a slow process, with a lengthy awkward transitioning phase as my body shape shifted, as my hair and skin faded or darkened to a different color. It was a pain. At least I had the option of changing. The others didn’t.

 

Now there was someone with Luffy’s face, who could frame him for shit that he didn’t do. We got into enough trouble on our own. We didn’t need anyone making it up for us.

 

The “fun” didn’t last very long. We were able to release our catch back onto their own ship after some dramatics about farewells and friendship.

 

“Now quickly, let’s be going!” 

 

I turned to head back inside.

 

“Yes, sir, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, sir!”

 

I stopped and turned back around.

 

“What? Mr. 2?” Usopp gaped.

 

“That guy was Mr. 2?” Vivi said, not believing it.

 

“Of course, he was. Why wouldn’t he be?”

 

“Vivi! You mean you didn’t know just by looking.”

 

“Uh. Uh. I’ve never met Mr. 2 or Mr. 1 and his partner. I don’t know much about them or their powers. I’ve only heard rumors. Mr. 2 is a very tall ballerina, who wear a coat with swans. It says Bon Clay on the back.”

 

“You didn’t know?” Zoro, Usopp and Luffy chorused. I was with them on this one.

 

She slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor.

 

“Vivi are you okay?”

 

“I saw something in his memory in the faces that he showed us. One of those faces belonged to my father. Cobra Nefeltari, my father, the king of Alabasta.

 

“That’s not good. If Mr. 2 can mimic the face of a king that easily, he can cause a lot of trouble. “

 

“Not to mention that he now has our faces,” I chirped.

 

“Looks like we let a really bad guy get away today.”

 

“You mean that guy is our enemy?”

 

“Seems so and having him on the other side is not a good thing. If Mr. 2 finds out that we’re the ones that Baroque Works is after, then he can use the memories that he got earlier to transform into any one of us. We won’t be able to trust our own friends.”

 

“Really?” Luffy still didn’t get it.

 

“Let me explain.”

 

“No,” Zoro said. “Luffy’s slow, but he’s right not to be scared. Hear me out on this one, and I think you’ll agree. It’s a good thing that we Mr. 2 out here, because now we know, what we’re up against, and we can prepare, and we can beat Mr. 2 at his own game.”

 

I raised my brows. “Look at you, guess you’ve got some brains to go with all that brawn.” 

 

The ship rocked, surging forward. I spun around. There was a large sea cat rising up out of the water.

 

“That thing is huge!” Luffy yelled.

 

“A sea cat!”

 

Usopp and Chopper screamed, the two of them cowering behind me. “SEA MONSTER!”

 

Zoro and Luffy on the other hand lost their damn minds at the prospect of eating it. Zoro drew his swords quickly, while Luffy cocked his fist back.

 

“It’s always something.” I crossed my arms and looked up at it.

 

Sea cats were relatively harmless, occasionally they might playfully bat at a boat, which considering their massive size could deadly, but Luffy, Zoro and I were all on deck and could easy deflect it.  In some cultures, they were signs of good luck.

 

“It looked like food to me!” Zoro yelled.

 

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

 

“Well, we’re on the right track. Now, if we could just get there alive, that would be great,” Nami said, surprisingly calm.

 

I shook my head, yet again. There was no chance that I was letting them attack this poor cat.

 

“FOOD FOR ME!”

 

“It’s backing away!”

 

“Reverse! Put the boat in reverse!”

 

“Will you two let go?” I asked, looking down at Chopper and Usopp, who were clinging to my legs. If anything, they held on tighter.

 

“We can’t do that!” Usopp cried. I wasn’t sure if it was being directed towards me or Luffy.

 

“Hey! Don’t let it get away! If the two of you don’t capture it, I’ll kill you!” Sanji ran onto the deck, joining the fray. “Now then, Sea Kitten, how do you think I should cook you?”

 

I reached to pry off Usopp and Chopper, but I didn’t have to, because Vivi grabbed a broom and clocked all three boys with it. The sea cat retreated, diving deep.

 

I laughed, at their bewildered and betrayed expressions.

 

“Why? It was food.”

 

“Because you can’t eat a sea cat,” Vivi said, sternly. “I just can’t let you. Sea cats are sacred animals in Alabasta.”

 

“Well that’s good to know,” Luffy grumbled.

 

Chopper released me. Usopp then realized that he had been clinging to me, let go scrambling back with renewed fear.

 

“There are more animals in the ocean than I thought,” Chopper said.

 

“There’s a whole lot in the oceans. It’s amazing.”

 

“If you’re still afraid of that stuff, you have a long way to go.” Usopp hopped up to start telling one of his stories, while Vivi tried to placate Luffy, who was crying over having lost his food.

 

“Vivi, the wind and weather seem to be stabilizing,” Nami said.

 

 “Yeah. We’re entering the climate area of Alabasta Island. Seeing a sea cat is proof of that as well.”

 

“Those things behind us over there are all the proof I need,” Zoro said.

 

I followed his gaze out towards the horizon, where ship after Baroque Works ship, were sailing.

 

“You sound entirely too pleased about this,” I said. “I’m starting to think that you might be more blood thirsty than that damn sword.”

 

He grunted.

 

I rolled my eyes.

 

“It looks as if all the Baroque Works employees have started gathering. I’m guessing that these are the billions. They’re the subordinates under the officer agents.”

 

“Which means that there are at least two hundred enemies waiting for us,” Nami deduced.

 

“They’re the best that Baroque Works have to offer, the elite of the underlings. This group will surely be a lot better than the bounty hunters at Whisky Peak.”

 

Usopp was adjusting the cannon. “Come on. Let’s blow them all away!”

 

“It’ll be quicker if we go over there and beat them up.”

 

Luffy’s enthusiasm was quickly checked by his hunger.

 

“They’re not worth it. Don’t bother,” Zoro said.

 

“He’s right,” Sanji agreed. “We need to keep our eyes on the prize or we might lose this all together. After all, eight against two-hundred sucks.”

 

“Eloquent,” I snorted. I looked at Zoro. “Let’s hear this master plan of yours,” I said. “The biggest issue right now is the ballerina with our faces.”

 

“We’re gonna need cloth,” Zoro said, looking at me.

 

“I think I can manage that, and put some distance, between us and them. I popped the lid off of the canteen, clipped to my belt loops, I snagged Usopp’s spy glass and looked out at the ships. Precision wasn’t my strong suit, but that was fine, I had large targets. Using gestures as a guide, I sent the water flying towards the enemy ships with enough speed and pressure to rip through their sails. I collected as many scraps as fabric as I could, before it became too much and my water could no longer hold the fabric.

 

“This work?” I asked.

 

“THAT’S SO COOL!” Chopper and Luffy squealed.

 

“Yeah. That works,” Zoro said, flatly.

 

“Oh Mira, our beautiful multitasker, collecting supplies and slowing the enemy,” Sanji cooed.

 

“Focus, Sanji. Focus.”

 

Zoro explained his plan, and I had to give him credit, it was actually a pretty good. We marked ourselves with x’s on our forearms, and then wrapped those with the cloth. That way, even if Mr. 2 copied us and the fabric we had the x underneath as a plan b.

 

“We know that someone with Mr. 2’s powers is with the enemy, so we have to be on our guard.”

 

“So what should I do to help against this guy?” Chopper asked.

 

“You just do whatever you can do. You’re not expected to do anything more, Chopper. And if you get overwhelmed, just run,” Usopp said.

 

“Sounds like the pep talk he’s always giving himself,” Sanji chirped.

 

“Whatever it is I can do… I got it!”

 

“You are entirely too cute,” I said.

 

“I can see the island now!” Luffy announced.

 

“Let’s stop at a town called Nanohana. We have to hide the ship.”

 

“Alright, no matter what happens on that island remember this thing on our arms is a sign of our friendship,” Luffy said, sticking him arm out.

 

We all put our arms out in a circle.

 

“Now let’s land, and eat! Oh and help Vivi.”

 

“That’s a side note,” everyone chorused, exasperated.

 

Vivi stood off, looking down at the fabric.

 

“It’s a wonderful feeling isn’t it, having people willing to fight with you?”

 

“Yeah. It is,” she agreed, smiling.

 

I grinned back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look I'm alive.


	17. Chapter 17

Random rain storm in the middle of the desert? 

Check. 

Luffy? 

Check.

Coincidence?

Not even close.

As soon as we had docked the Merry, Luffy had taken off in search of food tore through the desert sands, leaving a trail of dust behind him. We hadn’t even been able to get the first syllable of “Stay out of trouble,” out, before he was gone over the horizon, not that he would’ve listened to us anyways.

I had offered to go after him. Out of everyone, I was the most tolerant of Luffy’s antics. I found them endearing more than annoying. Not that the rubber boy didn’t have it in him to work my nerves, but 900 years was more than enough time to develop at least a little bit of patience. That and I had a very obvious soft spot for him.

In addition to minimizing the damage that he was sure to cause, it also got me away from the rest of the crew. A break from Usopp and Zoro sounded great. Zoro was still guarded, and Usopp was still afraid, jumping at nearly everything I did.

Yeah, chasing Luffy through the desert sounded like a lovely break from the tense awkward atmosphere caused by my confession.

Granted, I hadn’t thought that I was actually going to have to chase Luffy through the desert. Somehow, he had managed to run completely past the port town of Nanohana, bypassing all of the eateries that he had been desperately trying to get to. Instead, he ended up at the one solitary shack that dotted the land skip in the sands beyond Nanohana’s boundaries.

I reached out, feeling the rain as it fell. There was nothing off about it as far as I could tell. It was just the timing and location that was strange. Water was way to valuable here to let it go to waste, so rather than keep pondering its origin, I waved my fingers, collecting as much water as I could into a large orb that floated above the ground. 

I wasn’t trying to do anything too complex with it, meaning that I could collecting large amounts of water, but aside from large brunt force attacks, I couldn’t do much with it. More precise and accurate uses required much smaller amounts. Maybe, if I had honed my skills more that would change.

This went unnoticed by Luffy and the old man that was currently yelling at him, sword in hand. The two were locked into some kind of altercation that I had missed the beginning of. They were mid conversation by the time I got close enough to hear.

“Illegal? So, you’re a criminal,” Luffy said, narrowing his eyes at the man.

I snorted. I still had no idea what was going on, but a kid with a thirty-million on his head calling anyone a criminal was hilarious. 

The sound cause Luffy to notice me. “Mimi!” he cheered, looking away from the guy, who took the opening to slash at Luffy.

I shook my head. The old guy was completely outclassed. Even without his devil fruit, Luffy was still young and spry. The old guy was well past his prime. Hungry and barely paying attention (even for him) Luffy was able to beat the guy in short order, leaving him bruised and bloodied. The guy had called for a truce, begging for mercy.

Having gotten that out of their system, the two sat down in the dirt. I took advantage of the barrels the man had around, filling them with water.

“Well you certainly are a strong one, aren’t you?” the old guy said, breaking the ice.

“Sure am. No one can beat me,” Luffy said. 

“Yeah. I’m not surprised. Your fighting style is very unique. Sorry about that,” the guy sounded embarrassed. I would be too, if I was beaten up by some kid with only one punch.

“Oh no no no. I’m the one, who burnt up your powder stuff. I’m sorry.” Luffy’s apology was genuine. The old man had referred the powder that Luffy was talking about to as his treasure. There was something about those words the registered with Luffy. 

I assumed that it was a pirate thing.

“Why don’t we go ahead and say we’re even?” the guy offered. “And you-” He looked at me. “-I don’t think I’ve ever seen a devil fruit power quite like yours.”

“Yeah. I’d appreciate if you kept it to yourself. I don’t exactly like the unwanted attention it causes, but water’s too valuable here to let it go to waste.”

“You’re certainly right about that. You’ve done me a huge favor collecting it. Your secret’s safe with me. And if you could, please don’t tell anyone about the powder. That would be great.”

“Wait what was that powder stuff?” Luffy asked.

“What? You don’t know?”

“It sure was gross,” Luffy said.

“It isn’t food. It’s a very special powder known as dance powder. There’s another name for it. It’s also known as rain summoning powder. That’ what caused that sudden downpour we just had. Uh… Would you like me to explain more?”

“It’ll just go over his head,” I said.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t understand.”

“I guess you wouldn’t would you,” the old guy laughed.

Luffy laughed as well, but it came to an abrupt stop, when he brought his fist down on the guy’s head. “Hey, don’t be so rude, old guy.”

“Like I was saying, this powder is very special. It can be used to artificially produce rain.”

I listened intently as the man explained how rain powder works. I followed along just fine, but it was clearly lost on Luffy.

“Does all that make sense?”

“So, it’s mystery powder,” Luffy concluded.

The old guy started clapping sarcastically. “Yes, well done that’s it exactly.”

“Are you being rude to me again old man?”

“Yes,” I answered. 

Luffy hit him again. “Why would you want to use the powder to make rain in the first place?” 

“You don’t even know the first thing about this country, do you?”

“Luffy,” I said gently. “Alabasta is a desert kingdom. There’s no rain here. Water is scarce.”

“Well you see, here in Alabasta, we’re constantly battling drought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Drought is when there’s no water and the land dries out.”

“Ugh! I know that much!” Luffy knocked the man on the head again. 

“Anyway, our country never gets much rain, but it’s become much more scarce in recent years.”

“That sounds bad.”

“Most of the oases have dried up.”

“So just use the mystery powder then.”

“That’s what you would think, but as I told you, the world government has now made dance powder illegal. Use of the powder is a crime punishable by execution. The powder is also supposedly what started the country’s rebellion.”

“Really?” I questioned.

“I don’t know much about that though.”

“Oh. Hey. I think I get it now. Was it your dream to help save your country by using the powder?”

“What?”

“Earlier you said the powder was really important.”

“Uh… Yeah, but that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for it,” the old guy admitted sheepishly.

“What was?” I asked.

“Well. I thought by selling water in these hard times, I could make a lot of money.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You must be really smart. I don’t’ really care about that,” Luffy said.

‘No, but Vivi would,’ I thought. 

“I just need to find some place to eat,” Luffy said, focusing on his initial goal again.

“Bu- bu- bu- bu- but please don’t tell anyone about this. Let’s keep this between us, okay?” the man pleaded.

“Yeah, whatever. Makes no difference.”

Luffy’s words apparently didn’t register with the old guy, because he immediately started begging. “Please! Just don’t tell! I’ll give you anything you want! Anything!”

“Anything?” Luffy asked, excitedly.

“Anything. Anything at all.”

“You got any food?”

I smiled fondly. Oh Luffy, sweet simple Luffy.

Once he had a lunch in hand, he was ready to go. “Well it’s been fun. Thanks, a whole lot for the food, weird old guy.”

“Sure. I only hope you enjoy it.”

“And that we keep your dirty little secret,” I chirped, causing him to cast me a nervous glance.

“Trust me, I will,” Luffy responded, ignoring me. “See you around, rude old guy.”

I moved the barrels, so that they rolled behind me.

“What are you doing?” he cried out.

“You didn’t think that I collected this all for you, did you?” I asked. “Consider it the thing I want for keeping my mouth shut.”

“You can’t do that!” he yelled.

“I can, and I will.”

“You take that, and I will tell everyone about your devil fruit,” he threatened. 

“And I’ll tell everyone about how I collected it from a freak downpour, caused by your dance powder.”

He glared at me. I stared back at him, not bothered in the slightest. We both knew that I was at the advantage here. Having a weird devil fruit wasn’t a crime. Being on a pirate crew was, but I had yet to be recognized for that. 

Even then, I could always skip town, live life on the run. He, however, was stuck.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But don’t tell anyone!” he called as we walked off.

I smirked, pleased with my victory.

“No problem,” Luffy said. “It wasn’t like I could turn you in if I wanted to. I’m a pirate after all.”

The look on the old bastard’s face was priceless.

“Next time you decide to run off, could you at least try to stay within the city?” I asked, Luffy as we walked towards town.

“I can’t believe I ran past all the food.”

“Honestly, I can’t either. I thought your stomach would’ve just guided you into the closest restaurant.”

Luffy opened the lunch from the old guy and began chowing down. It was a decent lunch for a normal person, which it meant it barely qualified as a snack for Luffy. It had taken him no time at all to finish it, and he was still left hungry afterwards.

He whined and whined as we walked.

Meanwhile, I was having my own issues. At home, I was constantly surrounded by water, and while my travels had taken me to places far inland, none of them had ever taken me to a desert. Being so disconnected from the seas was an uncomfortable feeling.

My tie to water was more than simply an ability to control it. For me water almost always felt like home. I was born of the seas, and raised in the rivers, lakes and streams of Ogygia. For me water was home. Having not submerged myself into its depths, since I washed up in the East Blue had already felt strange but being on the seas had been enough of a comfort to combat the urge to toss myself overboard. 

None of my travels had taken me to a place so devoid of any type of water. The world around me, felt empty without it, and we weren’t even that far from the sea. I was having difficulty imaging what it would feel like, the further inland we got.

“Where’s the city? Where’s a restaurant? Can’t a guy get any food in this stupid desert place?” Luffy whined.

“You could’ve gotten food earlier, had you not completely blown past the town,” I pointed out.

“Mimi, are you being rude now too?”

“Only a little,” I chuckled. “Look, the town is right there. We don’t have much further to go. Once we- “

Luffy’s eyes were glazed over. 

‘That’s not a good sign.’ “Luffy?”

“Food!”

“No,” I tried to grab him, realizing that he was now seeing things. “Luffy, that’s a mirage. You’re seeing things there’s no-“

“I’M COMING FOOD!” and he was tearing off again, rubbering hand squeezing out of my grasp.

I shook my head. Last time he had a head start, and I walked into a rain storm in the middle of a desert. Who knew what he would do in the city. Ideally, we would’ve kept a low profile, while we ate and gathered supplies, but there was no chance of that happening now. 

I quickened my pace to catch up to Luffy. I wasn’t running, regardless of how fast I moved, he was going to cause trouble, before I got there, so there was no point in sprinting after him. Plus, I couldn’t just tote the barrels around the city like I had been. It was too conspicuous. I didn’t have enough arms to just carry them either. I had to find somewhere to stash them, before I could go chasing after him.

After hiding my barrels behind an empty building, under a tarp, I went after Luffy. I was sure that if I found the food, I’d find him. My theory was proven correct, when I entered the second restaurant that I had encountered and saw him sitting at the counter, shoveling food into his mouth.

My other theory about him failing to keep a low profile was also proven correct by the massive hole in the wall and the marine captain from Logue Town walking out of it, after shoving what looked to be one of Whitebeard’s men into the ground. 

Of course.

“I’ve been looking for you Straw Hat. I thought you’d be here. Seems I was correct,” the captain said.

Luffy said nothing. He gave no indication that he had even heard the marine. Instead he continued to scarf down food. 

“Would you quit eating?!” the captain yelled.

‘I should’ve kept one of those barrels.’ I had no water on my person at the moment, the canteen clipped to my hip empty. 

It was okay though, I could make do. My plan wasn’t complicated, didn’t require gallons of water. There was dish water in the sink, and while it was gross, it would work. I pulled the water from the sink, hitting Luffy square in the chest with it, with enough force to send him flying back towards me, I grabbed him by the arm and took off, running like hell through the streets.

We ran like hell through the streets, ducking and dodging, but Smoker was on our asses, a cloud of smoke that we couldn’t lose.

“TASHIGI!” Smoker yelled, at a girl on the street. Seeing the weapon in her hand and the way she addressed him led me to the conclusion that she was a marine as well.

“Get them!” he ordered.

She and her men moved quickly. They blocked the street, while she launched herself towards us. 

I tossed Luffy upwards, and he got the hint, catching onto one of the nearby buildings and rocketing himself to the roof. I dodged the girl’s attack and turned right, running down a different alley. 

I had to get back to Luffy. He was useless against a logia user.

“TASHIGI!” I heard Smoker yell. “GET THE MARINES AT ONCE! Search every inch of this place and find the rest of his crew.”

Of course. I didn’t want to engage her. A fight would waste valuable time, but now I had no other choice. Sure, Luffy and I had blown our covers, but the others hadn’t. So as long as the people didn’t catch wind of their true nature and the marines weren’t fully mobilized they would be fine. 

“Right! Come on!” she commanded the few marines with her.

I came back around the building and ambushed the trio of marines, grabbing a bottle and hurling it at one of them, hitting him right in the head and knocking the unconscious. Tashigi and the other turned their attention towards me. 

“Stop right there!” Tashigi yelled. I charged at her, knowing the she would dodge, using the opening to attack the other marine, who was by no means ready for me. He aimed his riffle at me, but I ducked under the barrel, grabbing it and aiming it towards the ground. I knocked his legs out from underneath him, gaining control of his weapon as I did so. While he was flat on his back, I used the butt end of the riffle to knock him unconscious. 

That left one. 

“Who are you?” Tashigi asked, her sword drawn.

“I don’t have time for you,” I said bluntly. “I’ve got to go keep your hard ass captain from getting his hands on my simple captain, so do me a favor and just stop, while you’re still conscious.”

“Not happening, pirate.” She spat the last word out, before charging. 

It was obvious that she had studied the blade. The way that she held herself and the techniques that she used showed that she had a strong understanding the fundamentals. Her execution wasn’t perfect, but it was still proper. Had she been up against a rookie or some simple thug, she would’ve been able to land a hit on them easily.

I was neither of those things. Swords weren’t my weapon of choice, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know how to wield one. I had studied the same techniques as her, and I had much much more time to do so. It took something far more creative to get the jump on me. 

I dodged easily, running up and kicking off of the wall landing behind her. While I was in motion so was the dishwater I had used earlier. With a swift jerk of my arm, I whipped it across her knuckles, causing her to drop her sword. Another flick of my wrist and the water ran across her palms, the pressure enough to slice through the flesh there.

She cried out, dropping to one knee.

“Your theory is excellent and your execution close. You’ve studied well, Tashigi, but you’re not the only one.” 

“Who the hell are you?” she growled out, reaching for her sword.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, knocking the weapon away from her. I went to knee her in the face, but she blocked, grabbing my leg and pulling me down. 

She was feistier than I had thought. I was sure that she would’ve lost her fight once her palms had been slashed, but still she continued. 

She may have been feisty, but I was stronger, rolling us over, so that I had her pinned down. I brought my fist into her face, leaving her unconscious with a bloody nose.

“I kind of like you,” I said, as I pulled myself up. A large cloud of smoke and a burst of flames drew my attention. 

Before I could run towards it, a streak of red and blue with a straw hat ran in the opposite direction.

When I caught up to Luffy for what felt like the fiftieth time that day, he was sitting on a barrel in an alley, not far from, where I had stashed my barrels of water earlier.

“Luffy,” I breathed out a sigh of relief. 

“Hey, Mimi! Have you seen the others? I think they got lost, while the marines were chasing us.”

I groaned. “Of course, you guys attracted their attention on your own, after I took out the sword girl to try to buy everyone some time.”

“I share your sentiment,” a guy said from the roof above us. “It seems giving you a chance to escape was pointless.”

I looked up to see the Whitebeard pirate standing on top of the home beside us.

“Hey!” Luffy greeted enthusiastically. “Hiya, Ace.”

The guy, Ace, jumped down.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Luffy asked.

“You could say that,” Ace responded.

The pair laughed together, before locking hands for an arm-wrestling match on top of the barrel. Seeing the two interact caused me to relax a bit. Ace and Luffy were clearly on good terms, which meant I had one less threat to deal with.

“How many years has it been?” Luffy asked. 

“I don’t know, but you haven’t changed much during all that time, you’re a little taller, but you pretty much look the same.”

“So, do you. Aside from those powers you got from eating that devil fruit, you haven’t changed a bit. Remember, when you used to run into the fields, eat a hundred watermelons, spit the seeds out like a Gatling gun and run away?”

“No, that wasn’t me, that was you,” Ace argued.

“The farmers would chase you and you’d scream like a girl.”

“That was you too. I watched and laughed.”

The two of them were caught up in their own little world, reminiscing, while they arm wrestled.

I leaned against the building watching, while also feeling my barrels from earlier, and moving the water within them, so that they rolled towards me. 

The force from their arm-wrestling match was enough to break the barrel. I caught the water before it could seep into the ground or evaporate.

“I guess we’re still the same.”

“Sure are.”

“Just like old times.”

“Wasn’t your crew looking for you a few minutes ago?” Ace asked.

“I’m sure,” I said, attracting his attention.

He straightened up, before bowing. “My apologies, miss. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s older brother.”

I realized at that moment, who exactly Ace was. Fire Fist, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.”

I smiled at him. He was polite if nothing else. “Big brother, huh? I’m a big sister myself. I’m Zale Mira Kai, but I prefer Mira.”

“Mira, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I take it you’re one of Luffy’s crew members.”

“The stewardess,” I answered. “And the pleasure is mine.”

“A stewardess, huh?” he asked, directing the question towards Luffy. 

“For all intents and purposes, and then some,” I said.

“Yeah, isn’t that cool, Ace? Mira cleans. She can cook. She fixes our clothes. And she’s really strong.”

He nodded towards the water, floating above the ground. “That’s some power you got there. Didn’t think there were devil fruits that could control water.”

“There’s not. Mimi’s the daughter of the Sea Devil,” Luffy blurted.

In his defense, I had only told him to keep it a secret from the crew until I had told the others, and I had by this point told the others. We were going to have to have a discussion about this. I didn’t need everyone I met thinking I was evil or crazy depending on whether or not they believed Luffy. 

“The sea devil?” Ace quirked a brow, sounding amused more than anything. “That’s one hell of a blood line.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” I grumbled. 

Ace seemed to sense that I didn’t want to keep talking about it and changed the subject. “Wasn’t your crew looking for you?” 

“Yeah,” Luffy answered, not at all bothered by the fact that the others were probably worried. “What are you doing in Alabasta anyways?”

“I take it you never received the message I left for you back on Drum Island?”

“Message?”

“Well, I guess that’s a no, but don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. It was just to let you know that I’d be in Alabasta for a few days. I’m in these waters on some business.”

I raised my brows. “What business does the Old Man have this early in the Grand Line?” I asked.

“You know Pops?” Ace asked.

“I know your Pops. I met him a long long time ago.”

“Who’s Pops?” Luffy asked.

“I’m with the Whitebeard Pirates,” Ace said proudly.

“Pops is their captain, Whitebeard,” I explained.

“The Whitebeard Pirates?”

“See this tattoo? That’s our mark, and it’s my pride. So Luffy, why don’t you and your friends come join us? Come on. It’ll be fun.”

I snorted. As if Luffy was going to sail under anyone. 

“No thanks.”

Ace laughed. “I had a feeling, you’d say that. You see that’s too bad, because Whitebeard’s the greatest pirate I’ve ever met. That’s why I’m going to help him become king of the pirates, and not you Luffy. Sorry.”

“Heh. That’s fine. I guess we’ll just have to fight then, because I’m going to be king of the pirates.”

I shook my head. Boys.

Luffy tipped back the canteen, finishing it off. 

“Stop it! Don’t drink it all, you mooch!”

With a few flicks of my fingers, I refilled Ace’s canteen. 

“Thank you,” he said, tipping his hat to me.

“You’re welcome.”

He took a swig. “We need to get you two back to your crew, before the marines get to them. You have any idea, where they could’ve gone?”

“Probably back to the ship,” Luffy said.

“Well that’s a start, where’s it docked at?”

“Well actually, I’m not sure. That’s funny.”

“Jeez,” Ace groaned.

“Mimi?” Luffy deferred to me.

I reached out looking for that stupid demon sword, finding it much easier, after having practiced with it. “This way,” I said, leading the other two. 

I walked ahead, allowing the other two to talk. Seeing as they hadn’t seen each other in a while, it was a nice chance for them to catch up, and it gave me a bit of a breather.

“You know, Luffy, Pirate ship captains usually remember, where they leave their ships,” Ace said.

“Yeah, but I was hungry, and I forgot.”

“You haven’t changed at all. So, tell me about your crew. What are they like? Who are they?”

“Well first there’s a tough guy, who carries around three swords.”

‘And sleeps more than any other person I know.’

“Wants to be the greatest swordsman in the world.

“Then there’s a navigator, who likes maps and tangerines and money.”

‘Especially money.’

“There’s also a cook, who makes really yummy food.”

‘And is totally hopeless.’

“There’s a liar too,”

‘Scaredy-cat.’

“And a doctor, who just so happens to be a reindeer.”

‘So cute.’

“Really? You don’t say? Sounds like you have a motley crew there.”

“We also have a princess and her giant duck.”

“Not something that we should be talking about here,” I reminded Luffy.

“And then of course there’s Mimi! She takes care of us all. Everyone of my crew is so interesting.”

“Sure sounds like it, but I’d wager, you’re the most interesting one of all.”

I grinned. That was for sure.

“Still, just a handful of people for a pirate crew, that’s just like you Luffy.”

“I’m still looking for a musician though.”

I stopped, seeing the Baroque Works idiots coming out of their hiding spots to intercept us. I figured that we would run into them, but I was also hoping that we wouldn’t. Wishful thinking. They were already out for us. Plus, Ace was one of Whitebeard’s, which meant he likely had one hell of a bounty on his head.

“Stop right there, Fire Fist!”

“You’ve got nowhere to run. Your head is mine. It’s my one-way ticket to a promotion! Prepare to die!”

“It’s our lucky day boys. This’ll be easier than shooting fish in a barrel.”

“Hey, look at the other guy. Is it just me or does he kind of look like Straw Hat Luffy.”

“Great,” I deadpanned.

“Hey, now that you mention it, it is him. He’s worth thirty million berries.”

“Well well it looks like our lucky day just got even luckier. It looks like or big promotion is just a hop skip and two severed heads away.”

Luffy and Ace were unfazed by the goons, continuing forward like nothing was happening. “Anyways, let’s look for your ship. We’ll start at the shore.”

“Okay. Wait, Hey Mimi, can’t you just sense Zoro or whatever?”

“I can, hence why we’re going a different direction than where we came from,” I said. 

“See Ace, Mimi’s always watching out for us.”

“Well then lead the way, Mira.”

“Hey!”

“Stop you!”

“Hold it right there!”

“You can’t walk away from us! Get them!”

The goons were moved to action, attacking with greed fueled vigor.

“This is too easy to be fun,” I said, taking down man after man. I bowled over some of the goons with the barrels, something I had never really done before. I had never really experimented with the concepted of fighting with an object filled with water as opposed to just the water itself. The barrels made things a bit more interesting. It allowed me to use more blunt force attacks. I could just hit someone with a jet of water, so that it felt like I punched them or hit them with a board. However, actually hitting someone with a board with the force of my water behind it was much more satisfying, plus it required less concentration. 

I lacked the fluidity though, and the speed. I didn’t like the bulkiness of the barrels, but maybe if I had something smaller, it was an option worth exploring. 

It didn’t take long for Ace, Luffy and I to clear the road. Ace and Luffy had taken care of the lead idiot. Ace had heated up his sword, the heat traveling through the blade to the hilt, where it burned the man’s palms. Luffy followed that up with a gum gum bazooka, rocketing him off into the distance.

“Alright, let’s go,” I said, heading towards the water. 

Once the ocean was in sight, so was the Merry. “Over there,” I pointed it out.

“We’re not afraid of you!”

I glanced back to find more Baroque Works agents surrounding us. “Seriously?”

“You two go ahead. I’ll catch up,” Ace offered.

“Sure thing,” Luffy said, jumping down and waving at the crew.

I followed him, standing by as we waved at everyone. “Alright, Mimi. Let’s go,” he said, coiling an arm around me, extending the other towards the Merry.

“Luffy-“ I started to protest, but before I could get any further were flying over the ocean as Luffy’s arm snapped back to its original size.

We crashed into the deck, taking out Shopper and Sanji in the process.

“Ouch,” I groaned, rolling off of Sanji, who I had landed on and onto the deck.

“Oh Mira, my sweet! Are you okay?” Sanji asked, springing up to sitting position, so that he could fret over me.

“I’m fine,” I said, sitting up. I rolled my shoulders and neck.

“Oh, my dear-”

“Clearly, you’re fine.” 

“My barrels,” I whined, looking over at where they were still sitting on land, too far away for me to reach them. “Damn it.”

“Oh! Luffy came back!” Usopp said, appearing from inside.

“Yeah. We’re here.”

“Yeah, the hard way,” Zoro said, face palming.

Luffy popped up. “Sorry about that.”

“Yeah, you’re sorry alright! The sorriest excuse for a captain ever!” Sanji snapped, grabbing Luffy by the shirt and jerking him back and forth. “Do you even realize how our precious angel, Mira could’ve been injured- “

“I’m fine, Sanji,” I pointed out again.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you put us in?” Nami scolded Luffy.

“And you!” she turned on me. “You were supposed to keep him out of trouble.”

“I tried, but he’s a fast bastard, makes messes quicker than I can clean them up.”

She sighed, turning back to Luffy. “Can you at least try to act like a captain some time?” 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Wait, where’s Ace?”

Luffy shot up and looked out over the railing.

“You were with your brother, huh?” Zoro asked.

“Wait? Your brother?” Chopper asked, as he sat up.

“You didn’t just leave him, did you?”

“Um… Sort of, but it’s okay. He’s really strong,” Luffy explained.

“So how strong is he?” Chopper inquired.

“Well let me put it like this, when we were younger, I was never able to beat him in a fight, and this was way before he ever ate the flame flame fruit. That’s how strong my big brother is.”

“You mean to tell that there there’s a flesh and blood person out there that you can’t beat?” Nami was clearly shocked by this information. For the East Blue, Luffy was a force to be reckoned with, but he was nothing compared to some of the people that I had met on the other side of the Red Line.

“The big brother of a monster is an even bigger monster,” Usopp said.

“I guess so, because Ace used to beat me up all the time, but I bet now I could kick his big butt.”

“I’d like to see you try. So exactly whose butt is getting kicked?” Ace asked, hopping up on the railing, causing Luffy to fall over.

“Hey, Ace! This is my crew I was telling you about!”

“Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking care of my kid brother. I know he’s a handful.”

The others were clearly taken off guard by his manners. It was surprising. You didn’t often hear about polite pirates, especially not those under a yonko. Of course, having seen how Luffy behaved, it was even harder to believe that someone like Ace could be related to him.

“Oh no, not at all,” everyone save for me echoed. I pulled a face at their behavior. Polite or not, everyone knew Luffy. Ace knew him better than all of us, meaning that there was no way Ace would believe that.

“Oh, come on. Be honest. This is Luffy we’re talking about. Isn’t he a bit much for you to handle sometimes?”

“Not at all.”

“You’re good people,” Ace said.

“Well sit down and relax. I’m sure you have some catching up to do. I’ll make some tea,” Sanji offered.

“No. That’s thoughtful, but I don’t want to impose.” Ace lit Sanji’s cigarette.

“Well he’s certainly not what I expected,” Sanji said.

“I’ll say,” Zoro seconded Sanji’s statement.

“He’s clearly something if he has you two agreeing,” I chirped.

The two looked at each other, horrified, before glaring at each other.

“Whatever,” Zoro mumbled, glare focused on me for a moment.

“Listen Moss Head, you-“

“Settle down, Sanji,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“He’s polite helpful and gracious, the polar opposite of Luffy,” Usopp pointed out.

Nami continued. “One only cares about stuffing his face. There’s no way that these two can be brothers.”

“While the other only cares about his brother,” Zoro added.

“I wish I had a wonderful brother like that,” Chopper cried.

“Forget brother. I wish I had a wonderful captain like that.”

“Sanji!” Vivi scolded, putting her hands up in a placating manor. “He’s kidding.”

“See, I told you they were interesting,” Luffy chuckled.

My eyes caught the line of ships appear on the horizon. “But they’re not.” 

Vivi exclaimed. “Baroque Works?! Those are the billions ships!”

“Those guys again?” 

“Luffy, leave it to me. I’ll handle it,” Ace said.

All eyes were on Ace. He hopped off the Merry onto a tiny little skipper type thing. 

“I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you,” Zoro said. “They don’t let just anyone become the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates.”

Using the power of his devil fruit he powered his little skipper flying towards Crocodile’s goons. His stance was casual, hands in his pockets, posture slouched. Once he was close, he pushed off. The skipper dove under the ships, while Ace jumped up and flew overhead, his lower half turning into flames propelling himself above the ships. 

He landed on his feet on his skipper on the other side, and cocked his fist back, his hand turning into flame. “Fire fist!” he yelled, throwing a punch. The flames burst forth from his hand breaking through ship after ship, until it they were all in pieces sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

The others stared at the scene in awe, save Luffy, who was laughing and cheering with glee.

“Sanji, why don’t you make us all a snack? I’ll get the mugs and bust out the booze,” I proposed. “If that’s okay with you, Captain.”

“Woo! Party!” Luffy cheered. 

Sanji and I moved in tandem in our small kitchen, him cooking, while I busted out the mugs and filled them with booze, setting them on a tray, so that I could carry them out for everyone. 

Ace had returned to the ship and was sitting on a barrel, while Chopper, Luffy and Usopp sat in a circle on the deck.

“Woo hoo! Time to celebrate!” Luffy hollered as I handed out their drinks, tucking the empty tray under my arm.

“Here’s to Fire Fist Ace!” Usopp yelled, seeming to not notice it was me dosing out mugs. 

“Cheers!” the three of them raised their glasses.

“Wait. Who said I was joining your crew?”

“Don’t worry. You can’t take anything they say seriously when they’re like this,” Nami explained as the boys continued to toast to various things.

I shook my head at their antics. 

“Hey, are you sure you don’t want to join us? It’ll be fun. I promise.”

“I can’t right now,” Ace said, voice serious. “I’m chasing someone. He’s a pirate named Blackbeard.”

“Blackbeard?”

“I’ve heard of him. He was the one, who attacked Drum Kingdom,” Vivi explained.

“You see Blackbeard, used to be a member of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates. He was one of my own men, but he committed the most unforgivable sin that I pirate could. He killed one of his fellow crew members then he jumped ship. As commander of his division, it’s my responsibility to take care of him.”

“So that’s why you’re here,” I deduced.

“I heard he was going to a place called Yuba, so that’s where I’m heading.”

“Hey, that’s our destination too, right?” Nami asked.

“Exactly.” Vivi pulled out a map of Alabasta. “We just entered the Sandora River. We’ll take it to Erumalu, where we’ll dock. Then we’ll trek on foot, until we reach Yuba, here. The leader of the rebel army is there. That’s where we’re going.”

“You don’t say. Do you mind if I tag along?” Ace asked.

“Nami, Vivi, I’ll follow you wherever you go,” Sanji cooed.

“Hopefully, it’s off of a cliff,” Zoro snipped.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY ZORO!?” Sanji yelled, getting in Zoro’s face.

“Cool it you two!” Nami barked. “Well it looks like we’ll have you for a little while Ace.”

“We’re happy to have you aboard,” Sanji said.

“This is going to be fun! To Ace!” 

“To Ace!” we echoed, toasting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people, it's been a while. Sorry about that. Some shit has happened. Uh. 1.) I graduated college. 2.) I did another internship. 3.) I turned that internship into a job. So yeah. Mira as I've mentioned takes a lot of time, because I have to watch the episodes in order to write it, which I haven't had the chance to do, because I work full-time at job 1 (which also involves a stupid two hour commute), every other Saturday at job 2 and Sundays are spent helping out my grandfather. So it's been hard to find time for Mira, hence the lack of updates here.
> 
> I have been able to do some other stuff though, stuff that doesn't require me to watch anything to move forward with it, so if you havne't please go check out Throne. It's that Shanks thing that I kept saying I was gonna work on and then just didn't. It's been a lot of fun to write, so there's that. Uh... I've also started a writing blog, I don't know if I mentioned that since my last review. If you feel like it, check it out on tumblr at teroinreadsteroinwrites, which is also my new user name here, so that's another change. Jesus a whole lot can happen in some months. But yeah, go check that out. I have a master list to all of my works, including stuff that doesn't really fit on fanfic and I'm going to start posting updates about the writing process, so if you want to know what I'm working on or have questions that you don't want to leave in a review head over there. I'm always happy to talk. It also has my rec list, which is as complete as it's going to get at the moment. Uh... What else? There's a Kid oneshot called Terrible if you want to look at that, and I've missed you guys. Sorry it's taken so long to update, but you know life.


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